Pokemon: Iron and Copper
by SkarmorySilver
Summary: Ash Ketchum sets off to the Kroel Region, filled with dangerous new Pokemon, but he soon finds out is that there's far more to this world than he first though. Special thanks to Darksilvania for his Powermon!
1. Chapter 1: All Roads Lead to Kroel

Hello everyone, SkarmorySilver here. This is basically a repost of my VERY first fanfiction EVER, Pokemon: Iron/Copper. Basically, Ash and a few new friends travel through a new, mysterious land, the Kroel Region. Here, the Pokemon are known as Powermon, and for good reason. They live by only one rule, kill or be killed, and the humans will seriously have to tough it up to survive in this brave new world.  
This first chapter introduces two of my very earliest OCs, Andrew "Andy" Tempest (my Author Avatar, if you will), and Lapis "Pi" Lazuli. As you will see soon, the two of them are chock full of surprises, and Ash's Badass Normal status will definitely come in handy when dealing with them in the days ahead.

A word of note: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAKEMON FEATURED IN THIS FANFICTION. All Powermon belong to Juan Pablo, aka Darksilvania, whose deviantART account can be found here:

darksilvania . deviantart . com (remove spaces)

Now, with that out of the way, let's get on with the story. So sit back, put on your pith helmet, and enjoy the show. ;)

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**Chapter 1: All Roads Lead to Kroel**

The sun rises over a distant land. A distant morning chorus of songs and calls awakens the world. As the dawn breaks, birds start winging their way skyward, lending their voices to the clouds above.  
But these are no ordinary birds. They're Pokemon, creatures with magical powers that can be trained and used for battles. These bird Pokemon are of many kinds: Pidgey, Hoothoot, Tailow, Starly. They all fly together, in peace and happiness.  
[female narrator:]_ "Sunrise over my homeland. This is a time for man and beast alike. It is a time for anyone and everyone to get up and get going. And a time for life to start anew in this beautiful world of Pokemon."_

**Pokemon: Iron and Copper**

The bird Pokemon fly past the title, and then over the other Pokemons rising in the light of dawn: Sentret, Bidoof, Bulbasaur, Magikarp, Mantyke, you name it. All the while, they're tweeting merrily in communication to each other. Suddenly, they stop singing. There is something in the air, heading in their direction. And it is flying very fast.  
[female narrator:]_ "But this is no ordinary place, even by Pokemon standards. This is the Kroel region, where one rule is enforced among all others: survival of the fittest."_  
There is a screech in the air. A great silver eagle, with feathers like knives and red and gold sheathes on its wings, dives out of the sun. It's a Fhureigle! The other birds scream in panic and spread out so as to confuse their newfound foe. They flock closely, moving in a unified mass like real birds flocking to avoid a predator. But then a Pidgey, jostled violently by a wayward Tailow, spins wildly out of control and strays from the flock. The hungry Fhureigle screeches again, seeing this, and dives.  
There is a great slashing noise as wings meet flesh, a high-pitched shriek of panic and a great crunching noise as curved talons sink deeply into the Pidgey's internal organs. In an instant, it is over. The Fhureigle has caught its breakfast.  
The Steel Eagle Pokemon clutches the Bird with its talons as it flies off, the rest of the flock forgetting the excitement and resuming their morning flight to their feeding places. But the Eagle has its meal. It lands at a nest on the eaves of a suburban house, and as it settles to its morning brunch, it begins to wonder what is inside the window it is perched over.  
Behind that window, we see a room completely covered in blue. Walls, floor, bedsheets, toys - everything about it is blue. And that is due to the obsessions stemming from the 10-year-old girl who is just waking up right now, tucked under her sea-patterned covers.  
[female narrator:]_ "My name is Lapis Lazuli. But you can call me Pi. It's my tenth birthday, and I'm about to become an official Pokemon trainer."_  
The girl, whom we now know as Pi and the narrator, twitches uncomfortably under her covers, trying not to think about waking up. The door opens, and someone's head peeks in.  
A teenage boy, sixteen years of age with jet-black hair that is decorated with a pair of pale-tan and sky-blue goggles, looks into the room. A scarf, which is blue with spirals on it, wraps around his neck. A blue lizard-like Pokemon, with a dark blue frill around his neck and dark blue bumps down his back, is sitting on his head.  
"Pi?" the boy asks as he looks into the room. "Wake up, sleepy-blue-head. I bought your favorite, Bluk-flavored Flop Tarts!"  
[Pi:]_ "I used to live at home with my parents, but ever since I joined the Pokemon Research Guild and Training Academy, I have come to live with Andrew, my very best friend. He's one of the assistants to Professor Parcel, who used to teach at my school when I was younger."_  
The girl gets out of bed groggily. Now we see that it isn't just her room that is blue. Her PJs are blue, her fingernails are polished blue, her eyes are an irresistible shade of brilliant sapphire blue - even her hair is royal blue, streaked with baby blue. Pi wipes her eyes and yawns. Apparently, she didn't have a very good sleep last night. "Good afternoon, Sokka," she says, sleepily running her fingers through her untidy hair. "How's Aang and Katara, have they made peace with the Fire Nation yet?"  
"Eat up, buddy," says Andrew as he shoves the plate of blue breakfast tarts into her hands. "You don't wanna starve on your tenth birthday."  
Pi pauses for a moment, takes a bite out of a tart, and then gives a double take. "Wait ... I'm ten?"  
"Of course you are," says Andrew. "You're about a minute from becoming an official Pokemon trainer!"  
"I am?" Now Pi is fully awake. "I am!" Practically brimming with excitement, she shoves the plate back into Andy's hands and dashes out of her room and down the stairs, still in her PJs. "I'm ten!" she bubbles. "I'm ten! I'm a Pokemon trainer!" Andy, meanwhile, feeds one of the tarts to the lizard creature, which is named Frimbella. "That Pi," he says, smiling. "She just can't get a grip of herself, eh Zach?" The Frimbella replies in a voice like a ten-year-old child. "You can say that again."

**Ep 1: All Roads Lead to Kroel!** (Pi reads the title card.)

Downstairs, a group of teenage people are waiting for Pi. One of them is female, fourteen years old, with dark tanned skin, long wavy brown hair, and hair loopies on either side with blue beads to go with her eyes. Her clothes are blue, with pale wavy markings. Her name is Katara, a Waterbender and Pi's Waterbending teacher. The next is her sixteen-year-old brother, Sokka, with his hair tied in a small ponytail and a black-bladed sword and a boomerang in sheaths on his back. The third is a pale-skinned barefoot twelve-year-old girl with black hair in a bun, misty blue unseeing eyes, and green and dull-yellow clothing. Her name is Toph Bei Fong, an Earthbender. And the last is a seventeen-year-old with long dark black hair, golden eyes, and a scar on the left side of his face. He is Zuko of the Fire Nation.  
"Hey guys!" Pi finally arrives, with Andy close behind holding the Flop Tarts. "I'm ten! I can get a Pokemon!" She is met with general applause as Katara claps her on the back. A small blue Pokemon is cuddled in her arms. It has a shark-like snout and fins, and little dog-like legs - a Makoy, one of the four Water Starters to the region. "Good for you," says Katara. "I half thought you'd end up having to go back to your parents to learn Waterbending like I used to, but I guess this works too."  
"Congrats, Pi," says Sokka proudly as he swigs his Kanto-Cola Diet. "You're finally joining the club!"  
"It's not a club, Sokka, at least not per se," Andy says. We see that his uniform is similar to his Pokemon. A pale yellow stripe spans across his sky-blue leather jacket, and in the front pocket a little golden medallion with a spiral at the front is pinned and shining. "She's going into the Pokemon Research Guild and Training Academy." Still, Sokka's little black dog Pokemon, a Chihuahuark, sits up and barks approvingly. Out of sympathy for him, Sokka tosses him a Flop tart, which is quickly dispatched in one gulp and the Chihuahua Pokemon nuzzles his leg affectionately. "Sure, but I still think she's one of us. Kinda like my Chihuahuark here, right little guy? Right?"  
Zuko ignores Sokka as he nuzzles his little Pokemon. Instead he turns to Pi. "Don't get over-excited, Pi. This is a serious matter. Our goal is not to win Battles or Contests, but to preserve the power and diversity of the Pokemon world."  
"We need your help and effort," Toph adds. A little doll-like Pokemon, like a human but without arms and legs, hovers next to her. "Wei Ou would love to hear of your progress in the battle against you-know-who."  
"You-know-who?" Pi asks, confused, as she picks up a tart and takes a bite out of it. "Right now, it would be best NOT to ask," says Andy, who is also feeding Zach a tart. "Now try and eat your breakfast before we leave. You wouldn't want to starve, right?"

An hour later, Pi - now in her regular clothes, which are blue of course - docks her blue bicycle at the parking lot of Professor Parcel's lab, heads over to the front doorstep, and rings the doorbell. Andy and Zach are right by her side, as usual.  
The door opens. A scientist with thick white hair, including a Santa-esque mustache and beard, stands before them. "Well, hello there, Miss Lazuli," Professor Parcel beams at them. "I assume this is your tenth birthday, am I correct?"  
"Yes! Oh yes it is!" Pi replies, grinning with excitement. "A pleasure to meet you again, guys," he says, extending his mechanical right arm to shake her own. "So you're here for your first Pokemon, right?"  
"Yeah," says Andy. "She is. And I thought I'd accompany her and show her the ropes."  
Then a humanoid black-and-white figure appears by Parcel's side. It is a Homoformulus, and it is five feet tall and wears dark sunglasses. "Good day, madam," Faust the Homoformulus says in a thick British accent. "Can I be of your services?"  
"Of course," Andy snarls as he glares at him. "Now my first demand is for you to mind your own buisness."  
"Don't worry about Faust," says Parcel. "He's my personal assistant. He helps with studies and chores, and he'd be delighted to take you on a tour of this place."  
"Save that for later," hisses Andy. "We're here for some SERIOUS buisness."  
"Right then," says Parcel. "Come in and have a look for yourself."

Inside, Pi, Andy and Zach are taken to a Pokemon paradise. A special room decorated to look like a jungle houses all sorts of awesome Pokemon. Starly and Tailow flit through the trees, warbling with joy. Viperuga, Larvaggot, and Eclipillar crawl all over branches and leaves, happily feasting on the green growth. Magikarp and Osteish swim in a local pond, reveling in the warm water. And high above them, unnoticed by all, the same Fhureigle, having finished his breakfast, glides in through an open skylight and perches on a branch, eyeing them slyly.  
"This place is so cool," Pi breathes as she marvels at the diversity of the Pokemon. "It's exactly why I want to become a Pokemo- "  
But before she can finish, a movement catches her eye. A little brown Pokemon bursts through the canopy and lands on her head. She shrieks in surprise, causing Andy to jump and Zach to whip round to face the "threat," hissing. The creature looks like a brown monkey, but from its back white wings sprout, flapping as they carry it off Pi's head and into the air. Its body is pale brown with a dark brown belly, and has a red vest that matches its red fez-like topknot, which is covered with a dark-red and yellow headband with a light blue arrow on it.  
"Hey! Give that back you little thief!"  
Another boy bursts through the undergrowth. This one has a dark-red and yellow shirt with a little insignia of three sky-blue spirals on it, and his pants are dull brown and held up by a belt with another three-spiral logo on the buckle. His hair is black and short, and he has an arrow marking on his forehead. His name is Aang, an Airbender and the Avatar.  
The winged monkey, a Volarimp, lands on a nearby branch and moons Aang, sticking out his tongue. The angry Airbender leaps up at him, but misses as he takes off again. Several more leaps fail too as Volarimp chatters annoyingly at him, and then Volarimp lands on Pi's head again. Aang makes another leap, and both Pi and Aang shriek as they realize that Volarimp forced Aang to jump at Pi in an attempt to get his headband back. One resounding CRASH later, and the two are sprawling on the ground, dazed from the collision.  
"Are you all right?" Andy asks in desperation as he and Zach rush over to them. "I'm fine," says Aang. "Just get my headband back!"  
"Hey," Pi says as Andy helps her up. "Do I know you?"  
"Aang!" Andy cries out in amazement. "What are YOU doing here?"  
"Same reason as your little blue-haired friend," Aang snarls grumpily, as he glowers up at the annoying Winged Monkey Pokemon which is still teasing him and playing with his headband. "I'd be getting a Starter Pokemon if only that thing would just let me my headband!"  
"I'll take care of this," says Zach, rubbing his hands in preparation for battle. "Let me show you my Quick Attack!" And with that he charges at the tree and begins climbing it with great speed. The Volarimp is caught completely by surprise; Zach launches himself at the little Pokemon, flaring his frill and screeching wildly. One powerful collision later, the monkey drops the headband, which lands in Aang's hands as he rushes forward to catch it. At the same time, Zach runs off the end of the branch, waves goodbye at the astonished Volarimp as he floats in the air for a split second, then plummets downward, extending his frill like a parachute to slow his descent as he lands back in Andy's arms.  
"Whoa," Aang gasps as he puts on his headband again, watching Andy stroking Frimbella's frill. "Your Frimbella is amazing! I wish I had a Pokemon like that."  
"You will, soon enough," says Professor Parcel, returning with some Oran Berries. "Come with me."

Another room, and more Pokemon. But these are unique Pokemon. They are the Kroel Starters. "These will be the Pokemon you can choose for your journey. You can only take one, though, so choose wisely. It will be your friend for life. You first, Avatar." And he hands Aang the Oran Berry.  
The first Pokemon he comes across is a bush-like creature with a long neck and tail and short legs. It is a Magyora. But it takes one sniff at the berry and turns its head. "That's one Starter off the list," Aang scoffs.  
The second is a lizard-like Pokemon with pipes on its back and a flame on its tail. The Blazard looks at the Oran Berry, then blasts Aang in the face with its fiery breath. "Nope," Aang groans again, his face blackened with ash. "Not for me."  
The third is a small creature like a sea reptile. It has stripes and fins, and is called Marigne. It looks at the Oran Berry, then knocks it out of his hands with a stroke of its claws. "Not again," Aang sighs.  
The fourth creature is a little green monkey. It looks at the Oran Berry, then with a flick of its tail causes it to fly up and hit Aang squarely in the head. "Nah," says Aang. "Too fiesty." And so he rejects the Grassian.  
The fifth creature looks like a little red human with goat's legs and horns. It sniffs the Oran Berry, looks up at Aang, shrieks, blasts him with flame, and then darts away to hide. "Too timid." And so he rejects the Devimp.  
The sixth creature looks like a landshark; it is named the Makoy. But instead of biting the Berry, it bites Aang's hand. "Too frisky," Aang scorns, rubbing his smarting wrist. And so he rejects the Makoy.  
Four rejects later (a wood lizard, a fire parrot, a ghost tree stump, and a water lizard), and Aang finally comes across the last one. It is a small horse, about one and a half feet long, but covered with lime-green scales instead of fur. It has a fan of red feathers on its tail and red ears. This creature is called a Dragorsy, and it is a Kirin or Blaze Spirit Pokemon. The creature looks into his eyes, and then smiles. It walks up to him and, tentatively, sniffs and then takes a tiny bite out of the Oran Berry. It likes the flavor. "Well, looks like I've finally found someone who likes me," he says as he watches the Dragorsy eat the Oran Berry. "Congrats, kid," Andy sarcastically comments, glancing at Frimbella. "You've finally found your Starter."  
The Dragorsy looks up at Aang. It seems to want to play with him. "Guess this means we'll be together, right?" The little Fire pony places its front hooves on his arm and licks his face causing him to laugh in pleasure and affection. "Always." "Hor-sy," Appa the Dragorsy whinnies, in its grateful childish voice (its voice is the same as Horsea).  
Professor Parcel marvels at this display of friendship. "Now that Aang has chosen his Starter," he says as he turns to Pi, "who will YOU choose as your starter?"  
Pi is watching this the whole time. "Um - " she begins, but at that precise moment there is an earsplitting CRASH. Everyone rushes over to see what happened, and a horrible sight greets their eyes. A gaping hole has been carved in the wall outside the lab, probably by explosives. Uniformed men with white-and-red mustelid Pokemon are all over the place, snatching up Pokemon in leather sacks. The terrified Volarimp that stole Aang's headband earlier tries to fly away but is seized by the tail and stuffed into a sack.  
"What is going on here?" Faust asks, appearing again at the door to the terrarium.  
"Another one!" a poacher cries. "Get it!"  
Several men leap at the Homorfulus, but he is ready for them. He puts on a pair of dark sunglasses and cries, "Dark Pulse!" Instantly, purple and black balls of darkness form in his hands and he throws them at his new foes. They scatter, and the bag with Volarimp drops. Almost immediately, the Pokemon leaps upon the poacher's face, hissing and scratching. "GET IT OFF ME!" he screams, struggling as the prankster-turned-mini-monster rips at his shirt pockets. Aang rushes over and disengages the Volarimp from his victim, just as he takes out a Pokeball and shoves it at his face. "I got a guy with a good Crush Claw, pal, and I ain't afraid to use it!"  
Aang flees. He heads back towards where Dragorsy is standing, but the Poachers are faster. With one swift motion, the leader trips Aang, and ties him and the Volarimp in a rope net. And seconds later, all the Starters are bagged too. "Let's move out," the leader barks orders to his crew. "The Boss doesn't want us to be late!"  
"PI!" Aang screams, thrashing around in a futile effort to escape. "ANDY! PARCEL! HELP!"  
"AANG!" Pi screams back. "NO! LET HIM GO!" She rushes at the Poachers, trying to get to Aang, but several goons grab her and toss her aside. In a flash, every uniformed man and Zangoose is gone, having dissapeared back through the hole in the wall.  
"Oh," Faust exclaims as he pats the inconsolable Pi on the shoulder. "This is terrible. So terrible."  
"Poor Aang," sobs Pi as she wipes fat tears from her face. "He's been kidnapped and it's my fault that I couldn't save him."  
"It isn't," says Andy as he comes up behind her. "If you tried to help him out earlier those Zangoose would have hurt you a LOT."  
"Don't worry," Zach adds. "We'll save him. And the other stolen Pokemon!"  
Zach gives her a scrap of paper he found on the ground earlier. It is the one that Volarimp loosed when he took out the poacher's shirt pocket. "What's this?" Pi asks, wiping her face. "I think we have their adress," he says.  
"335 CrushClaw Alley," Pi reads. "That's it! Now we know where they're headed! We can still get them back!" "Right then," Parcel states proudly. "Let's go!"  
And with that, Parcel, Faust, Pi, and Andy with Zach sitting on his shoulder, head off through the hole in search of their foes.

High above, still picking Pidgey feathers from his wings, the same Fhureigle, having witnessed the whole thing from a safe distance, looks down upon the hole in the wall and scowls.

While our heroes are hot on their tail, the poachers are driving their stolen van through the streets to their lair. At the back of their truck, the stolen Pokemon are still tucked away in their bags, and a certain Airbender is roped up at the back of the car. Where his captors are going, he doesn't know, but one thing is for sure: it's not going to be a nice place to hang out.  
As the thieves' destination nears, Aang knows that once they're there, he has to get out as fast as possible and warn the others. He dares not to move, not making a sound, terrified but knowing that soon his chance to escape will come. Nearby him, Dragorsy and Volarimp are stuffed away into their own bag.  
The poachers know that Aang can't escape the van undetected. What they don't know is that Aang has learned to understand and speak the language of Pokemon.  
"I can't move!" Aang hears Dragorsy say in Pokemon language as the latter thrashes around helplessly. "Is there anything you guys can do?"  
"I don't know," says Volarimp. "There's gotta be a way out of here, and the only way out is when those jerks get to where they're headed."  
Aang joins in on the conversation. "The only thing we need to know is WHERE they're headed," he says. "But right now we have to focus on getting loose and out of the van."  
Then the van hits a bump in the road. The bag jerks; Volarimp collides with Dragorsy, and the impact causes him to release a puff of small flame that hits the bag. Then a tiny hole appears in the bag, and grows larger and larger as the fire eats away at the bag. Within a few seconds, the hole is large enough for the Pokemon to squeeze through.  
"Nice work, Appa," says Aang. "Now untie me and let's bust out!"  
"Seconded," says Volarimp as he starts working on the ropes holding the Last Airbender.  
Meanwhile, the van arrives at its destination, what seems to be a run-down apartment. But as it moves into the parking lot, one of the parking spaces lights up as the border. The van parks there, and then the space descends like an elevator. The van goes along for the ride, moving down, down, down, until it reaches a bottom floor. Here it drives into another parking space, this one underground.  
Several people rush forth to unload their daily cargo. "What is it that you have this time?" one of the poachers, larger than the rest, asks the driver. "Good haul today," he replies. "We got the Starters that guy was asking for."  
"Let me see them." And the big guy walks over to the cargo hold. But what a surprise they have in store. The moment the door opens, there is a blast of Firebending from both the Avatar and the Fire Starter that fries the smaller poacher and sends the others running. Aang bursts out, the bag full of Starters in his arms, Dragorsy and Volarimp close behind. "After him!" the big poacher shouts, alarmed and furious.  
The angry poachers try to chase after the Avatar, but being an Airbender he is way too fast for them. Dragorsy clings to his leg and Volarimp to his headband as he makes way for the elevator. Then it starts to rise.  
_Now or never,_ Aang thinks in desperation, and leaps with all his might. He barely clears the gap, and the elevator closes just as the toe of his shoe clears the edge of the platform. Lasers fire, but nay in vain as Aang makes it out of the poachers' lair.  
Outside, he reads the adress of the apartment where the poachers are hiding. "335 CrushClaw Alley," he recites to himself. "They're keeping the other Pokemon here. We better find the others before it's too late!"

Meanwhile, all the others - Pi, Andy, and Parcel and Faust - are racing along towards Argent City, following the tire tracks left by the van. "Is this idea of following the tire tracks a smart idea?" Pi asks. "I don't know," says Andy. "But it's the only way we have to find them." "Can't you just fly and look for them from the air?" Fausts suggests. "I don't think so," Andy replies. "If I know poachers, they're bound to stake out their stash underground, so that won't matter."  
"Well I think it would still be worth a sho - WHOA!" Pi starts, but she shrieks again as she trips over something and lands flat on her face causing everyone to stop and turn round.  
Wiping dirt from her face with her sleeve, Pi looks around to see what did the damage. It is a Pokemon, and a small one too, about 1.5 feet long with shades of light blue, dark blue, and white. Its face looks like that of a miniature Ponyta, a bit like Dragorsy, but instead of hooves it has aqua-green fins and a long curly tail, as well as a dark blue fin instead of a mane. Its skin has a shiny, slippery sheen and is covered in a mesh of tiny scales. It lies there, unconscious, as though someone had just dropped it there.  
"What is it, Pi?" Zach asks, jumping onto the ground and sitting next to Pi who is kneeling next to the Pokemon.  
Pi lowers her head to examine the poor little creature. It looks hurt, as though it had been tossed out of a moving car. And Andy has an idea of what car it was. "Hi-po," the little Pokemon whimpers. (Its voice sounds like that of Hippopotas.)  
"Mr. Parcel," Pi asks as she picks up the Pokemon. "Did you forget to take this guy to the lab while we were at your place?"  
Parcel looks at the Pokemon, examining it closely through his cybertronic monocle. "Ah, yes," he says. "That's a Hiponea right there, girl. I always forgot that little bugger, it can't move very well out of the water. Fishing for it is very difficult as it prefers berries to bait and is very fast in the water."  
"So what would this thing be doing all the way out here?" asks Pi.  
"I know," Andy snarls, with a menacing gleam in his eyes as they momentarily turn a vivid sapphire blue with slits for pupils. He bends over to look closely at the Hiponea and begins speaking in a series of clicks, hisses, squeaks and grunts. To Pi's wonder and amazement, the Sea Horse Pokemon speaks back. "Aw man," Andy says bitterly. "Looks like Hiponea got tossed out of a moving vehicle full of stolen Pokemon. Considering the tracks it was found near are the same as those we're chasing, I assume those guys who were driving that vehicle were the same guys who took Aang."  
"So is it possible for you to lead us to them?" Pi asks Hiponea, but to her surprise it angrily brays and begins repeatedly slapping her in the face with its fins. It jumps out of her hands and lands flat on its face on the ground again. "What was that for?" Pi asks.  
"I'll take care of this," says Andy, picking up the creature - only to get slapped himself.  
_'You try to get near me,'_ the Hiponea brays in Pokemon language, _'and you're gonna get a Fin Slap to the face!'_  
"Why?" Andy asks in Pokemon language. "Why do you refuse our help?"  
_'Because it's my mission! And mine alone! My friends are in danger and I'm going to save them!'_ And with that, he scrambles off as fast as his fins can carry him, off into the woods, where he tumbles head over fins straight down the small cliffs and lands with a splash into a nearby river. With a flash of tail fin, he is gone.  
"Some help HE was," Zach growls sarcastically as Andy wipes his slightly waterlogged face. "Well we can't stay here forever," he says as he takes out the paper again. "We gotta get to - "  
"335 CrushClaw Alley as soon as we can," a voice calls nearby. Aang comes rushing down the road, Dragorsy, Volarimp, and the other starters at his heels.  
"Aang!" Pi exclaims. "How did you get here?" "I busted out," he pants as he comes to a halt in front of them. "They're keeping all the other Pokemon in their underground facility at Argent City." "As I thought," Andy snarls, his eyes turning blue again for an instant. Pi is still looking at the river where Hiponea vanished, but Andy gets her attention again. "Pi, I know what you're thinking. The other Pokemon are still missing, and our job is to find them. But at least we still have Aang."  
"Uh, all right then," says Pi sweatdropping. "Where exactly are we supposed to go again?"  
Andy slaps his forehead. Pi's attention span can be so pathetic.

Half an hour after leaving Mr. Parcel's lab, our heroes arrive at the dark street where the poachers are supposedly hiding. It's not the prettiest street: everything looks run-down, litter is everywhere, and you can't even take two steps without someone who looks like a serial killer looking at you.  
"Are you sure this is where they're hiding?" Andy asks.  
"I saw the apartment," says Aang. "But because I escaped their HQ, they're bound to be after my blood. So stay alert."  
But no one comes out for them when they arrive at the apartment. It's a large building, but there are torn curtains, shattered windows, and graffiti scrawled all over the place.  
"They're hiding under the parking lot," says Aang. "Pi, come with me and investigate. Andy and Faust will search the building just in case." "Go figure," says Andy, glancing at Faust uncomfortably. Aang wastes no time in finding the parking lot, second to the left. "This looks like the place," Aang states. "Well, now our only problem is how do we get in?" Pi asks.  
Just then, another van drives in, taking everyone completely by surprise. Andy has to leap at Parcel to push him out of the way as the van full of angry poachers drives headlong into the parking lot, busting a parking meter. They pour out, surrounding Pi and Aang as Faust, Parcel, Andy and Zach hide in the safety of the bushes. "Hands in the air!" the poachers shout, their Zangoose flashing their claws. Behind the bushes, Faust and Parcel look on in horror as Andy slaps his forehead for the second time.  
Aang sticks up his hands without even flinching and says to Pi in a matter-of-fact tone, "Now you know."

Half ANOTHER hour later, Andy and Faust eventually decide to look inside the building. "Dang," Andy snarls. "Those jerks had better be hiding around here SOMEWHERE."  
"I cannot be sure about that," Faust states, his sunglasses on as usual. "I'm not quite sure if entering a dillapidated building is really a smart idea."  
"Well, they've GOT to be here," says Andy. "If only I had something that could help us by mapping the building."  
"Mapping the building ... That's it!" Faust exclaims. "Quick, Albert, hand me that Magnet you bought along!"  
Andy takes out the Magnet from his pocket, saying "Be sure to use it wisely." "I don't mind if I do," Faust states as he snatches it and swallows it in one gulp.  
The plan works beautifully; the whole building becomes easy to map because Faust has turned into a living metal detector. And not only that, they are able to hide from foes as they sneak through the building, looking for the elevator to the basement where the poachers are hiding.  
"Is there any chance we can find Aang and Pi?" Andy asks. "I cannot be sure," Faust replies, "but there is a chance. I still have knowledge of a few Psychic moves from that time I digested that Twisted Spoon a bit too well, and I should be able to use a few to help us out."  
"Great. Then do it for Aang and Pi."  
"Oh, all right, I will. Future Sight!"

The vision that Faust projects reveals a startling sight - Aang and Pi are in prison, but just then a rain of fiery sparks melts the bars of their cage. Dragorsy and Volarimp appear, and after untying them again the two kids and the two Pokemon manage to get out of the cage.  
"Halt!" the guards say, flashing their guns, bringing the two to a halt. "You're not going anywhere."  
"Not for long," says Aang. And with that he lashes out with a whip-like air projection that sends the guards flying back. But they've got their own tricks up their sleeves. "Zangoose, come on out!" they say, and the Cat Ferret Pokemon appear, their claws gleaming, their teeth gnashing as they face their new foes. In response Dragorsy and Volarimp jump out in front of the kids and glare at the Zangoose.  
Two Zangoose against Dragorsy and Volarimp. The outcome is actually quite difficult to determine, but then again that won't matter; Dragorsy aims his first Ember above the bad guys, causing a pipe to rattle and break. Out pops a stream of water, flotsam, jetsam - and one furious little Hiponea who had apparently broken in through the sewer.  
"Dang," one of them snarls. "I knew we'd forgotten someone."  
"Never mind that," the other grunts, glancing at his own Zangoose which has a notch on his ear as he aims his laser bazooka at the little Water Starter. "We're gonna have fish supper tonight!"  
Big mistake.  
Two seconds later, the poor guy has been blasted by a powerful Water Gun and ends up falling flat on the floor, where he is slapped around like crazy by the angry Sea Horse Pokemon, causing Aang and Pi to laugh so hard their lungs almost collapse as the other goon looks on in shock and awe.  
By the time the poor beaten up thug gets up with angry welts all over his face, Pi, Aang, and all the other Pokemon are long gone. The two men and their Pokemon look at each other, surprised at this turn of events - and start brawling.  
Elsewhere, Aang and Pi are running as fast as they can towards the place where the others are being held. "What sort of plan do you have in mind?" Pi asks, holding the still fuming Hiponea. "It will be a tough job getting the others free," says Aang. "But when there's a will, there's a way."  
Several turns later, they arrive at the main lab. "This must be the place," says Aang. "But where's everyone?" No kidding there, since all the Pokemon, as well as all the poachers, are gone.  
"We'd - OW - better - OW - search - OW - the - OW - area," Pi says, wincing a bit. "And - OW - quickly - OW - before - OW - they - OW - come - OW - HIPONEA GET BACK HERE!" This is because the indignant Hiponea, still squirming in her arms, is now Fin Slapping her face so hard she's gone raw, and now it's jumped out, crawling as fast as it can away from her towards another corridor.  
"Come back you little - !" Pi cries out, sprinting after the little creature. Dodging the Sea Horse Pokemon's flailing fins, Pi manages to catch up to it, but the moment she catches hold of it in her arms again she realizes something's wrong.  
"Well well well," a sinister voice snarls in her ear. "If it isn't Little Miss Blue-Hair. Quite happy to see you, actually."  
Pi turns her head, very slowly, to find herself staring down a lazor gun barrel. "Who are you?" she asks, terrified. "The name's Alex," the owner of the gun replies. "I happen to be a Pokemon Hunter, and if you excuse me I have a request to fill." And with that he grabs the Hiponea, and starts to walk away as he says, "I am in no need of unworthy scum like you, which is why I leave my servants to dispose of you."  
"Guess again, skinhead."  
The Hunter stops dead in his tracks. There, standing in front of him, is Andy, his eyes gleaming sapphire with slit-pupils and an unconscious goon dragging behind him. He throws the guard aside and extends a lovely set of razor-sharp fully retractable claws, one for each finger. "You won't be going anywhere, pal, at least not without anything that's bleeding."  
"You shouldn't have said that, kid," says Alex as he raises his gun, but at that precise moment there's a rush of wings and a flying monkey comes out of nowwhere and knocks it out of his hands. Aang arrives, holding Dragorsy, as Volarimp throws the gun down a nearby garbage disposal chute and lands back on his head. "We've got you surrounded," Aang snarls. "Three on one - oh wait, make that four," he adds as Faust arrives, saying, "Come out with your hands up!"  
"You're right," the shadowy Alex snarls. "I may be outnumbered, but I can still beat you all!" And with that, he takes out two red and white balls - Pokeballs. "Taurymanox, Gorgenom, let's show them!"  
With a flash of white light, two ferocious looking Pokemon appear. Taurymanox has a body like a bull, but arms like a man and stands on two legs. The other Pokemon, Gorgenom, looks humanoid but has green reptilian skin, yellow claws, and four hissing snakes for hair.  
"Shield your eyes," Andy nods to Zach as he snaps on his pilot goggles. "And let's get this party started."  
"Run for it, Pi," Aang whispers. "Run while you still have the chance!"  
Pi doesn't need telling twice as she scoops up Hiponea and makes a break for it. "Get the girl," Alex orders, and the Guardian Ox Pokemon exits into the maze of corridors in search of the blue-haired girl.  
"All right," Andy snarls as he takes out a Pokeball of his own, this one with a blue spiral on it, and throws it into the air. "Flight Unit Illbis-117, clear for takeoff!"  
With a flash of white light, another Pokemon appears. It is a pink bird, with a long white beak, its feathers mottled with black that leaves ugly blotches on the tips of its wings. "Ill-l-l-l-l-l-bis!" it trills, glaring straight at the Gorgon Pokemon. Normally, her potent look would cause intense pain, like poison to the eyes, but being a Posion-type, Illbis doesn't even flinch as it prepares to battle.  
"Let's do this," Alex snarls, cracking his knuckles. "Gorgenom, Poison Sting!"  
"Gor-r-r-r-r-r-r..." The Gorgon Pokemon snarls as her snake hair coils in preparation for the move. "...GENOM!" The snakes hiss violently as they spray powerful jets of poisonous darts. But Andy is ready, and he takes out a little blue-and-white controller-thing from his pocket and speaks into it.  
"Illbis, deflect with Wing Attack! Over," Andy cries, and Illbis' wings glow purple as the darts make their final approach. At the last moment, the wings shoot forth, destroying the darts and raining glowing purple sparks everywhere.  
"Fine," Alex growls. "Have it your way. POISON TAIL!"  
Gorgenom screeches as she hurtles towards Illbis, her long green tail glowing purple. "Illbis, Poison Tail at twelve o'clock," Andy cries. "Wing Attack again! Over."  
Illbis flings forth its wings again, but the Poison Tail scores a direct hit and sends the Plague Pokemon flying backwards, hitting the floor and sliding on its back towards the wall. "Now, Gorgenom," Alex roars. "Use Night Slash!"  
"Surface-to-Air at twelve," Andy orders into his communicator as he watches Gorgenom race towards Illbis again, her claws glowing purple. "Dodge, then increase altitude to 15 ft then come back down with Sky Attack, over."  
Illbis doesn't need another order from its "conning tower." Just as Gorgenom's claws slash at the bird, the latter explodes into the air, the Gorgon's Night Slash only clipping a few tail feathers. Illbis goes up as high as possible, the top of its head barely grazing the ceiling pipes, then turns around to face its opponent, its whole body glowing white this time. Gorgenom wheels round to face the bird as it dives, and readies another Night Slash - a second too late. One powerful collision later, and the Gorgon is sent flying backwards, and lands on her back.  
"Increase altitude again to 10 ft then Plague Peck, over," says Andy as Gorgenom attempts to get to her clawed feet, but Illbis makes another attack dive, its beak glowing purple.  
"Not so fast!" Alex screams. "Gorgenom, grab Illbis's beak then Seismic Toss!"  
Just as Illbis lands the Plague Peck, Gorgenom grabs it by the beak. She shrieks as she leaps into the air, hurling the startled Illbis to the ground.  
"Illbis, she's right on your back!" Andy cries, as Gorgenom prepares to stomp the wounded Illbis out of existence, but she is too weak to land properly; Illbis musters a last bit of strength, and raises itself up as Gorgenom leaps high into the air, her claws and fangs gleaming.  
"Illbis! Vertical rise with Sky Attack! Over," Andy orders desperately, and Illbis' body glows white again as it flaps its wings and begins its ascent. Both Pokemon screech as they prepare the final blow, and collide in mid-air, causing a huge explosion and a dense cloud of smog.  
Coughing and retching, Andy tries to get a glimpse of his Pokemon. When the smoke clears, Illbis lies sprawled on the ground, its eyes blank and unconscious (they look like spirals). Gorgenom towers over it, still standing. She has won against Illbis, but she's only getting started.  
"Flight Unit Illbis-117, clear for landing," Andy says as he recalls Illbis to its Pokeball with a burst of red light. "Good work. Over and out."  
"My turn now," says Aang. "Dragorsy, heed my command." "Hor-r-r-sy," Dragorsy whinnies as it steps forth to face the weakened Gorgenom.  
"Don't just _stand_ there," Alex commands at Gorgenom, his face twisted with anger. "Another Poison Sting!"  
"Dodge, then use LaserBeam!" Aang commands, and Dragorsy dodges the purple darts. "HOR-R-R... SIIIIIEEEEE!" it cries, as white beams of light shoot forth from its is a flash of light, and next moment she buckles over in pain.  
"No!" Alex roars in fury. But he has no choice but to recall Gorgenom. "You, children, are going to pay for this!"  
"Technically," Andy scoffs as he strokes Zach's frill again, "I happen to be sixteen."

Elsewhere, Pi is running as fast as she possibly can, away from the battle. Hiponea's senses are the only thing that guides her. With each movement of the little Pokemon's fin or ear, Pi veers left and right, heading for the goal only her Pokemon can sense.  
But she can't keep running forever. She slows to a halt, gasping for breath. "I'm sorry, Hiponea," she pants, "but I can't keep going for long. We have to rest for a few seconds," she says as she slumps onto the wall, exhausted.  
But that will have to wait. Something is coming in their direction. The huge bull-headed creature appears in the corridor intersection in front of them, sniffing the air. It scents them, and bellows. "Uh, sir?" she asks nervously, as the Pokemon moves closer. "Do you happen to know of any stolen Pokemon around here?"  
The Taurymanox stops, confused, but then launches a powerful Hammer Arm. Pi screams as she scoops up Hiponea and leaps aside just as the monster's fist smashes the place where she was moments earlier to splinters. At the same time, there is a commotion in the other corridor, and as Pi turns her head she can see an army of Zangoose, all of them armed with razor-sharp claws. They're coming at her, and they seem angry.  
"**MAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**" Taurymanox bellows loudly, flashing its horns as it charges. Pi tries to run, but the creature is too fast. Hiponea, however, knows better. "Neeeeeeeeeyie!" it neighs as it sprays a jet of water sideways, loosing some rocks in the wall. The Minotaur Pokemon may be strong, but it isn't that smart. It veers sideways, hitting the stones, and trips over its own hooves, crashing to the ground. Pi flees, leaping over the debris and turning a side corridor - and falling down three flights of stairs before coming to a halt in a chamber with cages full of Pokemon.  
If Hiponea could speak human language, it would have said, "Told you."  
"Great," says Pi. "Now if only we can find the keys to these things."  
Then she spots something. It looks like a large platform. On that platform is a control panel with an "on/off" switch. She sets the switch to "on" - and the panel floats into the air. And that gives her an idea.  
Five minutes later, all the cages are trailing behind on their floating platforms as Pi rushes back towards the exit. "I hope Aang's okay," she says to Hiponea, who is in her arms again. Hiponea can't speak English, true, but it CAN detect if something's wrong ... and that's exactly what it's detecting right now. Pi stops to catch her breath again, and then, from the corner of her eye, Hiponea slaps her arm again, and she sees something moving behind her.  
The Zangoose appear in the intersection behind her. They see her, then hiss in anger, and then they charge. Pi flees again, but then she sees the Taurymanox in the next intersection. She stands there, terrified, but then notices the hidden pathway.  
Moments later, Pi hurries through the corridors, trying to locate the exit, with Hiponea clutched close and dragging the other cages behind her. The Zangoose that were chasing her can't locate the hidden corridor, but they aren't the only ones. Just then, the walls right and left give way, and more Crush Claws shoot out at her. Pi shrieks and dodges them, and then one catches her foot and she falls over. And then she sees the Ox-headed creature barrelling at her from the corridor ahead.  
Taurymanox on one side, wall of Zangoose on the other. Now Pi is trapped, with no way out. She can only scream in terror as the barrage of claws closes in on her, ready to tear her to shreds ...  
A rending screech of metal resounds as the ceiling pipes rip and tear, pouring forth water. The girl's irises become a vibrant glowing turquoise as she rises shakily to her feet. The water starts moving erratically, swirling in a circle around her as she telepathically manipulates it, forcing back her foes. The pipes continue breaking, showering water as the enemy Pokemon are forced back, confused and terrified.  
But Pi won't let them escape. With a roar, she slashes at the air with her hands, and the pipes and water tanks explode. A wall of water rushes forth, sweeping up everything in its path. Pi grabs hold of her wounded friend as the water reaches her and carries her off. Like a beast of the sea, she speeds forth like a torpedo, propelled by Waterbending and her rage, headed for the exit.  
The wall of water rushes forth, felling columns like paper. The noise attracts the attention of Andy, Aang, and Alex, who are still in battle. "Whoops, time to go," Andy quips, and with that he grabs Aang and runs for it. Alex meanwhile notices the oncoming rush of water, and recalling his Gorgon Pokemon he takes out another Pokeball. "Percy, I think it's up to you," he says, and he drops the Pokeball just as the water hits.  
There is a flash of white light, and with a rush of great wings Alex vanishes into the churning water. Swept away by the flood, Andy only manages to catch the flash of a disappearing blue-and-white tail fin.  
Then suddenly, Pi is there, drifting unconsciously through the water. Andy grabs hold of her, hoisting her up onto the rising platform as it ascends to the surface.  
Andy, Aang, Faust, and all the stolen Pokemon appear, soaking wet, in the parking lot in a puddle of water. At the center of it, Pi lies there, unconscious. As Andy starts unlocking all the cages, Aang kneels at Pi's side, sobbing slightly. "Pi?" Aang asks as he looks down upon her, tears forming in his eyes as he places a hand over her chest. Upon withdrawing his hand, he passes it over her mouth - and withdraws the inhaled water from her lungs, causing her to regain consciousness. "Aang?" she says, weakly, as Hiponea, lying upon her stomach, stirs as well. "Don't flood the underground tunnel system. Not fun."  
"I used to say that about riding the Gyarados myself," Aang replies, smiling a bit.  
High above them, perched on the eaves of the apartment roof, the same Fhureigle looks down upon the scene. _The time will come,_ it thinks to itself. _The time will come._

Later, back at Parcel's lab, all the Pokemon are returned, everything is being patched up, and Andy, Faust, and the others have gathered to commemorate the entrance of their newest members into the Guild. "Aang, Pi," says Parcel, "thank you for saving the Pokemon. Aang, because of your excellent conduct and compassion to resusticate your good friend, I will allow you not only to have your Starter Pokemon, but also one of the Pokemon from the lab."  
"Wh - What?" Aang gasps, surprised. "Are you trying to tell me that I can start with TWO Pokemon?"  
"It's happened before," Andy says as he pats Aang on the shoulder. "I know you'll be okay."  
Just then, Volarimp reappears and snatches Aang's headband again. "Hey!" Aang cries out in alarm and irritation. "Why you - "  
"Hold on," Andy says, holding Aang back. "You've forgotten that Volarimp is a primate, just like us. You must treat it with respect." He turns to Volarimp. "Same goes to you, good friend Volarimp. Now would you be kind enough to return my friend's headband and be his second Pokemon alongside his Dragorsy?"  
"_**WHAT?**_" Aang does a double take. But Volarimp lands on his shoulder and shoves the headband unceremoniously over his face again, chittering happily. "Well, he wants it, since you were the one who saved him," Andy says. Aang looks a bit confused, but then a grin crosses his face. "All right, I'll do it! I'm gonna enter the Kroel League in no time flat!"  
"Very well," Parcel says, smiling. "Don't forget your Pokedex and Pokeballs here."  
Aang snatches the little red device and red-and-white Pokeballs from Faust's hands, and then Volarimp snatches his headband again and flies around joyously, causing Aang to laugh and chase him around happily.  
Parcel, now satisfied, turns to Pi, a stern expression on his face. "Parcel," Pi gasps as she wipes a tear from her face. "I'm so sorry about - "  
"Pi," says Parcel, "your powers are far greater than I have imagined, and you and your Starter will have a long way to go. However, I must recommend that you not only practice in Pokemon training, but in Waterbending as well, so that incidents like what happened today won't happen again."  
"Hipo-hipo," Hiponea adds sympathetically, patting Pi's shoulder as she holds it to her chest as usual. Pi smiles a bit too, and now she realizes that she has started to take a liking to Hiponea.  
"Parcel?" she asks. "Just one thing before we leave. How long do you think it will be before I stop flooding buildings every time I get angry?"  
"A while," Parcel says, smiling and patting her shoulder. "But you'll get there."  
"Here are your Pokedex and Pokeballs," says Faust, handing them out. This time, both the Dex and the Pokeballs are blue, just as she likes it. "Oh, by the way, where did Andy go?"  
Having recovered his headband for the third time that day, Aang heads over to Pi again. "Andy?" he asks. "What of - "  
The phone rings, and Faust goes to check on it. "Hello? Wait ... Visitors? Why, what a pleasant surprise, I'd be glad to see them."  
"Visitors?" Pi asks as she and Aang look at each other. "I'm not sure, personally," says Aang. "But I wonder..."

A long way away, at the Argent City Airport, a commercial airliner touches down and unloads its passengers. One of them, a thirteen-year-old boy with untidy black hair topped by a red-and-black hat, stretches a bit after his long flight abroad. A yellow mouse-like Pokemon with red cheeks, two brown stripes on its back, and a lightning-bolt tail hops over beside him.  
"We're here, Pikachu," says Ash Ketchum. "I can't wait to see Professor Parcel. Kroel League, here we come!"  
Inside the cargo hold, three familiar figures twitch groggily, having been cramped in a tight compartment full of suitcases for a long while - a red-haired late-teens woman, a late-teens blue-haired man, and a little cat-like Pokemon with a gold plate on its forehead. "Typical," says Jessie. "Of all the places we could have sat in, we end up in the luggage compartment!"  
"I'm starving," says Meowth. "I wish we'd at least taken third class."  
"Hardtack and swill would do for me, thanks," says James, groaning as he stretches. "At least you don't get airsi - whoa!"  
The luggage compartment opens, and all three cry out in surprise as they tumble out and onto the conveyor belt. The three Team Rocket members tumble into the cargo hold, and then they fall off and crash to the ground. "At least we don't have to worry about a CRASH landing," says Meowth. A blue Pokemon pops up among them and says "Waaaaaahhhhh-buffet!"  
Ash and Pikachu head out of the airport, their luggage trailing behind in small floating platforms. Easily passing through security, they leave the airport, hail a taxi, and Ash pays his tip in advance. "If there's anything I don't want, it's having to tip you when we're at our destination."  
"Where exactly IS this destination?" says the driver, glaring at Ash through his dark hair, which hides his left eye. "Professor Parcel's lab, please," says Ash. "Ah, Parcel. You heard of him, then?"  
"Yeah, I have," says Ash. "I was just there this morning," says the taxi driver. "I must warn you there was a bit of a ruckus at the lab today, so it will be a bit of a mess, but on the plus side, you WILL get to meet a few friends there."  
They later arrive at Parcel's lab, and Ash disembarks from the taxi, retrieving his luggage as Pikachu sits on his shoulder. "Good luck in the Kroel League, Ash," says the driver.  
"Don't worry," Ash says as he waves farewell and starts to head to Parcel's lab. "I certainly will!" "Pika!" Pikachu adds happily as it too waves goodbye.  
The taxi driver smiles a bit, then looks in the rearview mirror and brushes back his hair - revealing a familiar scar over his left eye. emLooks like the Avatar's going to have a VERY exciting journey,/em Zuko thinks as he drives away.  
Ash arrives at the door and knocks. Parcel opens it as usual, and beams at the boy before him. "Ah," he says kindly. "So this is the famous Ash Ketchum."  
"Yes, that'll be me," says Ash, as Pikachu confirms his statement with "Pika-pikachu!"  
"I suppose you wish to enter the Kroel League, then?" he asks. Ash nods, grinning.  
"Right then," he says. "Come with me to my main - " But at that moment, Andy bursts through, panting and in a state of panic. "Parcel!" he gasps. "Come quickly! It's an emergency!"  
Moments later, Andy, Ash, Faust and Parcel dash over to the door to the lab. Andy presses in the entry code to unlock the security system, and the doors to the lab slowly open ...  
Parcel, Faust, Ash, and Pikachu gasp in shock and horror at the sight before them, but what is it?  
[Pi:] _"Okay, so it's been a very hectic day for us. But as Andy and the others have just found out, our troubles aren't over just yet. What unpleasant surprise could be awaiting us now? You've gotta stay tuned for the answer!"_

To be continued...

Well, that was fun! Note that there will be NO narrator, unlike the existing Pokemon anime. The characters themselves will be the ones narrating this story.  
Anyway, read and review, folks. Chapter 2's gonna be coming up really soon!

Pokemon (c) Nintendo  
Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) Nickolodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko  
Professor Parcel, all fakemon (c) Darksilvania

-SS


	2. Chapter 2: Primigon Panic!

Hey guys, SkarmorySilver again. It's time for the next Iron/Copper episode, and it looks like things are about to become 20 percent cooler! New Pokemon, new trainers, new friends! So, let's get on with the story and keep it going.

As always: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAKEMON FEATURED IN THIS FANFICTION. All Powermon belong to Juan Pablo, aka Darksilvania, whose deviantART account can be found here:

darksilvania . deviantart . com (remove spaces)

******************************************  
Iron and Copper Episode 2: Primigon Panic!**

[Andy:] _"Hey there, it's me Andy. So last time my buddies and I were going to find some Starter Pokemon for Aang the Avatar and Lapis Lazuli, our newest members of the Pokemon Research Guild. I DID want nothing more than to just get everything done and get back home for my daily nap, but sadly that wasn't how my day went. See, while I was there this gang of poachers came in and stole all the Pokemon. Well, almost. Me and my buddy Zach tagged along with the rest of our friends and after stopping to pick up Pi's starter Hiponea, we tracked down those creeps to their lair, where we managed to defeat them after a rough battle. But now that I've found out what really happened at the lab that day, it seems that our little skirmish with them hasn't ended... yet."_  
Andy, Ash, Faust and Parcel stand in front of the door to the lab. Andy presses in the entry code to unlock the security system, and the doors to the lab slowly open, revealing...  
Parcel, Faust, Ash, and Pikachu gasp in shock and horror at the sight before them, but what is it?  
"Oh my," says Faust. "This is not going to look good when the health inspection team comes over."  
"Go figure," says Andy as he looks around the wrecked laboratory and slaps his forehead. It's going to be a very long day...

**Ep 2: Primigon Panic!** (Andy reads the title card.)

_[Katara:] Water. Earth. Fire. Air._  
_Long ago, the Four Nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked._  
_Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished._  
_A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang. But although his Airbending skills were great, he's still got a long way to go before he could save anyone._  
_[Aang:] (Oof!)_  
_[Katara:] But I believe Aang can save the world._  
**_Avatar: The Last Airbender_**

"Oh," Parcel exclaims at the sight. "It's horrible! Horrible!"  
"What's wrong?" Ash asks, confused. "Apparently," Andy says, "it seems the Pokemon weren't the only thing those poachers took."  
The lab has been ransacked. It's like an angry Onix ripped through this place. Papers, books, equipment, and specimens galore are strewn everywhere. And many of the display cases are shattered, their contents vanished.  
"What happened here?" Faust gasps. "All our prized fossil specimens are gone!"  
"Fossils?" asks a very confused Ash. "You have fossils here?"  
"We used to," says Andy. "We had them imported all the way from Triassic City!"  
"And now," Parcel wails, "those rascals have stolen them just like the other Pokemon!"  
"No way!" Ash gasps, and Pikachu adds "Pika!"  
"What am I going to tell Aang and Pi?" Andy mutters to himself in anger and despair, prompting Ash's curiosity. "Aang and Pi?" he asks. "Who are they?"  
Andy gives him a scathing look, and mutters "I'll go get them," before storming off.  
Ash looks around the wrecked lab, wondering what could have been stolen. "What sort of fossils do you have round here?"  
"Lots of them," says Parcel. "We had fossils for Pokemon of all shapes and sizes, and of all habitats. We were studying their lineage to modern-day Pokemon, and I had hypothesized that many of the Fossil Pokemon were either direct ancestors or evolutionary offshoots of existing Pokemon families."  
"Until this happened, apparently," says Ash. "Pika," adds Pikachu.  
"Guys? What's wrong?" says a boy's voice as Andy reappears with two other people behind him. One is a girl with blue hair, the other a boy with a battle staff and a headband with an arrowhead pattern.  
The girl gasps in horror. "Oh no," she whimpers. "It's terrible! Those goons just destroyed the whole place!"  
"This is definitely not good," says the boy in a shocked whisper. "Definitely not good at all."  
"Who are you two?" asks Ash. Pikachu hops onto on his shoulder, also looking confused.  
The boy looks round at Ash, surprised. "Whoa, I didn't know we had visitors. Oh wait, Parcel did get a call earlier saying we did." He smiles as he holds out his hand. "Hi, I'm Aang, and this here is Lapis, my new best friend."  
"You can call me Pi," says Lapis, grinning.  
"Pleasure to see you," says Ash, smiling back as he shakes the Avatar's hand. "My name's Ash Ketchum and I'm from Pallet Town. And this is Pikachu."  
"Pika Pikachu," Pikachu adds, smiling too.  
"Whoa, you're all the way from the Kanto Region?" Andy says in pleasant surprise. "That's on the other side of the world! Hi, I'm Andrew Tempest, or Andy for short. Oh and this is Zach, my trusty talking Frimbella."  
"Hi," says Zach the Frimbella as he glides down from the ceiling, landing on Andy's shouder, and waves at Pikachu. Ash notices that the white spots on this Frimbella have a blue spiral pattern instead of being normal blank white.  
"Wow, a Frimbella, that's a cool Pokemon!" says Ash, taking out his Pokedex. The little red device pops open, revealing lots of buttons and an LCD screen, which promptly shows an image of a regular Frimbella. "_Frimbella,_" it says, in a boy's voice but with a techno-robotic element. "_The Gliding Pokemon. FRIMBELLA lives in deserts, and is very fast on the ground. It possesses an umbrella-like frill around its neck that has two functions: first, when it feels threatened, it extends it to look bigger and intimidate its opponent; second, when the ground becomes too hot, it uses it to catch hot ascending currents of air and float with them until the sand becomes cool again, changing its direction with the membranes on its arms._"  
"And don't forget that this baby also helps soak up the sun in the morning, and makes a nifty communication device and breeding display!" Zach adds, extending his frill which turns bright magenta, and licking an eyeball with his long tongue when he finishes (it's his way of winking).  
"Pretty neat, having a cool Pokemon like that," says Ash. "This makes me wish I had a couple of Kroel Region Pokemon myself!"  
"Go figure," says Andy, thumping Ash's shoulder. "Seeing that you're a friendly trainer, I might as well offer you one for free!"  
"Well," says Parcel. "It's a pleasure to see you two, Ash and Pikachu. My name's Professor Parcel, and it is my honor to welcome you to the Kroel Region. Ash, I take it you wish to compete in the Kroel league?"  
"That's my ambition. I wanna be a Pokemon Master!"  
"So you're in, I suppose. Do you have an ID card with you?"  
"Not to interrupt our welcome here," says Aang, "but we have few dozen stolen fossils to worry about."  
"Oh, right," says Andy. "I guess we'll have to go look for them, then."  
Ash, though, is already interested in the Kroel League, and is busy with Parcel first of all. Once he is fully registered, his ID card is returned, and he gets a special little device that looks like a fusion between an iPod and a PDA.  
"For your journey," says Parcel, "you will find this handy. It's a GPS tracking device that can be used to determine the locations of cities, research centers, and many of our folks around here. This special PokeTracker also scans for enemies too, just in case."  
"Thanks," says Ash. "Now what of those fossils you guys requested?"  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Lapis whoops, cradling her newly acquired Hiponea. "Let's go!"  
"Be careful, guys," says Faust. "And make sure to return them when you get back."  
"Don't worry," says Lapis. "We will."

While Andy and co. are departing, a familiar trio hides in the bushes outside the door. "Fossils, huh?" says Jessie. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"  
"Of course, guys," says Meowth.  
"When the Boss recieves a new set of fossils, he'll be the happiest man alive," says James.  
"Yeah," says Meowth, as he starts to fantasize. "If those fossils are ressurected, they'll be the perfect battle steeds for him and his goons. He'll be terrorizing all four of our home regions! Think about it - a whole new kingdom, the kingdom of Team Rocket! People will kiss our feet, and probably even work as servants for us! And you know what the boss will say? 'Who shall I have to thank other than Jessie, James and Meowth? And what better way than a huge pay raise and a big juicy promotion?'"  
"Perfecto!" says Jessie.  
"What a way to raise your pay!" says James.  
"See, NOW you're thinkin' what I'm thinkin'!" says Meowth.  
And Wobbuffet finishes with its usual annoying cry - "WAAAAAAAAA-buffet!"

As the kids are heading off down the streets of Argent City to wherever, they do not know they are being watched. But Andy is a cautious human, and he knows it.  
"Be careful, guys," he says, eyeing the corners and streetlights warily. "Those fossils were the remains of some of the most dangerous Pokemon around. It is best to be on your guard, for if they're around, who knows what they will do."  
"As if I'd like to know," says Ash.  
Just then, there is a shriek from high above. A rush of great wings alerts Ash and friends to something coming in from the sky. Pi screams, Aang whips out his Airbending staff, and Ash and Pikachu turn to face the new threat.  
But luckily, for the humans at least, it isn't anything serious. A familiar silver-gray bird with a golden hooked beak and claws and red sheathes on its wings appears, and perches on a lamppost. "Ah, a Fhuriegle," says Andy. "Compared to your big brothers, YOU aren't so bad."  
"A Fhuriegle, huh?" Ash asks, taking out his Pokedex. "_FHUREIGLE,_" it says. "_The Steel Eagle Pokemon. Fhuriegle's body is covered in steel-hard feathers and its wings are sharp as swords, making it very aerodynamic. This Pokemon is very popular among human hunters, which is no surprise as it is one of the greatest predators of the Pokemon world, thanks to its telescopic sight and incredible speed._"  
"Wow, that's a cool Pokemon!" Ash exclaims. "I wanna capture it now!"  
But Fhuriegle doesn't want anything to do with Ash. It's been a whole day, and it hasn't eaten yet. So the sight of such a well-fed Pikachu, of course, naturally kicks its instincts into gear. With a piercing cry it launches itself off the lamppost and dives at the Mouse Pokemon with its talons outstretched.  
"Here it comes," says Ash. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"  
"Pikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" A jet of electricity spews forth from Pikachu's cheeks at the bird. But the Steel Eagle Pokemon is ready for it. Its talons glow white, and it catches the Thunderbolt in its claws, neutralizing the effect.  
"Wow, that was Metal Claw!" Ash gasps. "All right, time for a different strategy. Pikachu use Iron Tail!"  
Bad idea.  
"FHUREEEEEEEEEE!" With a great swoop, Fhuriegle veers in the sky to face the new attack. Pikachu launches into the air, its tail glowing, but as it tries to hit Fhuriegle its tail is caught by another Metal Claw. And now it is trapped in Fhuriegle's grasp, unable to escape.  
"No! Pikachu!" Ash screams. But the eagle doesn't care. With another piercing cry, Fhuriegle zooms skyward, clutching its prize.  
"No," Ash gasps, horrified as he sinks to his knees. "Pikachu..."  
"Don't worry," says Aang, taking out his staff and pressing a switch to loose one of his Pokeballs. "I'll help you. Volarimp, lend me your service!" With a spin of his staff, the Avatar hurls the Pokeball into the air. The Flying Monkey appears in a flash of light, astonishing Ash. "Wow! What is THAT Pokemon?" Ash exclaims, scanning his Pokedex again. "_VOLARIMP,_" it says. "_The Winged Monkey Pokemon. Its wings are used to fly at speed, giving it greater manuverability in the forest. It lives in troupes of up to 30, which fly in tight-knit flocks every day in search of ripened fruit._"  
"Volarimp," says Aang as he looks up at his friend. "I need your help. My friend's Pikachu has been kidnapped by a Fhuriegle. I need you to go find him and return him to his rightful owner. And please, don't hurt Fhuriegle either. Got it?"  
With a happy chittering noise, Volarimp comically salutes Aang, and dissapears into the sky to look for Fhuriegle and Pikachu.  
"Great," says Aang. "Now what do we do?"  
But then everyone's PokeTrackers start beeping, its little LED flashing red. Something is coming, and it isn't friendly.  
"I don't know about you," says Andy, "but I think Pokemon Hunter Alex is onto us."  
"Great," says Pi. "Can we run now?"  
"I certainly won't," says Ash. "Not without Pikachu!"  
But then the sound of gunfire comes. A streetlight shatters above them. Pi shrieks and dives for cover behind the Avatar.  
"You heard me," says Andy, flicking out his claws. "Move it or lose it."

High above the office buildings and houses of Argent City, Fhuriegle casts a great shadow as he carries Pikachu off to somewhere where he can eat in peace. Of course, "eating in peace" proves to be very difficult, as Pikachu is thrashing very violently and trying to hit Fhuriegle with another Thunderbolt attack.  
_'Let me go, you big bully!'_ Pikachu shriekes with rage (in Pokemon language of course), trying to loose his tail. _'You won't take me alive!'_  
_'Do you think I care?'_ Fhuriegle replies. _'I prefer my meals without a serious mess. If you try to escape, you'll probably drop about a couple dozen stories, and if that happens I'd feel sorry for you, seeing that you can't fly.'_  
Pikachu looks down. _'I see,'_ Pikachu says. _'But isn't there a way you can get a bigger or more savory meal than me?'_  
_'No, I'm afraid. I've been looking for a meal all day, and now you ask that I find a bigger meal. You should be ashamed of yourself.'_  
_'Same to you, pal!'_ Pikachu shouts angrily, and with that he lets out another Thunderbolt. Fhuriegle, obviously unaffected by this, finally lands on the eaves of a rooftop, still clutching the Mouse Pokemon.  
But just as it seems like the end for Pikachu, there is a distant shriek, and both Pokemon look up to see the source. There, in the sky heading towards them, is Volarimp. With a rush of white wings, he swoops, and with a perfect Brick Break, slams Fhuriegle hard as he blocks with his wings, sending him flying backward. The Fighting-type move doesn't affect the Steel Eagle's Flying-type, but it does affect his Steel type, meaning that his wing feathers have been dented by the attack.  
_'Let's go!'_ cries Volarimp as he scoops up Pikachu and darts off the edge of the building. _'What did I tell you?'_ sighs the Fhuriegle as he takes off in hot pursuit.  
Diving and twisting through the city, the Winged Monkey Pokemon tries as hard as he can to make sure Pikachu doesn't get eaten. _'Is there anywhere we can lose him?'_ he asks.  
Then Pikachu spots the crowded city square just ahead. _'There's a market just ahead,'_ he says. _'We can hide there.'_  
Volarimp, taking the hint, promptly dives through the crowded square. People cry out in surprise as the two streak past, while the Steel Eagle Pokemon flies overhead, trying not to lose them. The two Pokemon hide in various booths - fruit stalls, souvenier stalls, a hot dog stand, a book vendor's tent. But Fhuriegle didn't develop excellent eyesight for nothing. He tracks every move, approaching the friends' hiding places each time and provoking them to keep moving.  
The next place the two Pokemon try to hide in is a little gathering of people, surrounding a group of trained Pokemon - Aipom, Mankey, etc. The friends try to keep their cover and not give themselves away by joining in with the dancing cavorts of the others. But then Volarimp does an awkward pirouette, and then collides with a familiar blue lizard-like Pokemon, sending them falling to the ground.  
_'Zach?'_ he asks. _'What are you doing here?'_  
_'Hiding,'_ he says. _'I don't think you'll like this, but you aren't the only ones being followed.'_  
_'What do you mean?'_ asks Pikachu, sidling up to them.  
_'Pokemon Hunter Alex,'_ replies the Gliding Pokemon. _'He's traced yesterday's events to us, and now he's sent some of his minions on our tail. I got seperated from the humans in a bit of a struggle. How's things at your end?'_  
_'I have good news and bad news,'_ says Volarimp. _'The good news is that I rescued Pikachu. The bad news is - '_  
And as though he just said some magic words, Fhuriegle dives towards them with a piercing shriek, surprising many of the crowd who duck and cover._ 'I don't think you'll need to explain that,'_ says Zach. _'Run!'_  
Fhuriegle screeches again as he bears down upon his prey. The lizard will be for dessert, he decides. Within moments, he has them cornered in a dead-end alley.  
Volarimp screams. Frimbella rears up, spreads his now bright red frill, and unleashes a powerful Sand Attack in a futile attempt at defense. But to no avail. Fhuriegle moves in for the kill, bearing down upon them with his talons, and - Out of nowwhere, the massive rope net appears and entangles all the Pokemon - Fhuriegle, Pikachu, everyone. The armed thugs bunch up the corners of the net, preventing any escape. Within moments, they have ducked into another building and descended into darkness.  
After a few minutes, the goons have entered the chamber where their boss, with silver hair, awaits.  
"Did you get them?" asks the silver-haired man.  
"No, I didn't," says the first thug. "But I did get these guys."  
He holds up the bag full of Pokemon. "And if I'm not mistaken, it looks like one of them is going to hit the thousand-dollar mark." He indicates Zach, who glares up at him angrily.  
"Fair enough," says the silver-haired man. "Lock them away. I will deal with the sale personally."  
And as you can expect, all the Pokemon are locked up in the automated prison, just like all the others had been last time.  
_'Great,'_ says Pikachu in Pokemon language. _'Just when today couldn't get any worse... '_  
_'I was just about to say the same,'_ says Fhuriegle. _'Now how do we get out of this thing?'_  
_'I know... '_ says Pikachu, looking at the controls. Rearing back, he readies his next move, and launches a powerful Thundershock. As they expect, this affects the controls, despite their apparent insulation. The bars break open, and the Pokemon practically tumble out of their cage.  
The goons, naturally, notice this, so they open fire with their tranquilizer rifles. But Fhuriegle leaps forth, blocking them all with his wings, and then seizes Pikachu in his claws again. Together, the team shoot forward, slamming the guards to the ground, and hurtle up the stairway and back out the building again.  
_'NOW you're gonna eat me?'_ Pikachu asks, sighing.  
_'No,'_ says Fhuriegle. _'I'm going to help you.'_

While the Pokemon are on the run from the hunters, with great success, the hunters are succeeding in another chase. Every twist and turn the kids take, there are just more and more thugs waiting.  
But then, as they pass another intersection, Andy notices something that gives him hope. "The docks!" he shouts. "Follow me!"  
But then someone lands in front of them, his silvery hair billowing, his golden eyes glaring angrily. "I don't think so," says Alex.  
Clutched in his hands is a huge crossbow, golden and gleaming, with a razor-sharp shaft through the center that is pointed right between Andy's dark brown eyes. "This way," he snarls, "or you will pay with your life."  
Moments later, Alex and his gang forcefully lead Andy and co. through his underground labyrinth. Within moments, they arrive at a particularly large chamber, with some huge machine with a giant canister in the middle.  
"Shame," he says as his goons tie Andy, Ash, Aang, and Lapis to the stone columns near the door. "After all those years, you still attempt to put an end to our business."  
"You think I wouldn't have a reason to?" Andy growls at him.  
"No," he snarls. He holds up something pale green, with 3 spikes projecting from it. "The Petrified Egg," he says, handing it to some of his goons. "The key to the ultimate tool of destruction."  
Andy's eyes widen. He knows what will happen if this Pokemon is revived.  
"You will watch this," says Alex, pressing his crossbow upon his nemesis's throat. "You bought it upon yourself, and now you shall pay the price with your life."  
"Have you no shame?" Andy growls angrily as he watches the Petrified Egg being carried into the machine's containment tube. "I won't let you! Hundreds of people could be hurt!"  
"I don't care," snarls Alex. "It will be all the better. There are only so many worthless beings whose Pokemon deserve to be under my care."  
The egg is placed in the tube, and something else comes into view. It looks like a pet collar, but it has a sinister-looking knob on the front instead of a name tag. It is a Slave Collar, designed so that those who wear it will be forced to obey any order of the one who owns it.  
"Begin the operation," Alex snarls. And one of the goons presses a series of complicated buttons, turning on the machine. It powers up, humming and crackling with electricity as Andy and the others look on helplessly, bound to the columns by the ropes that the guards are tightening still.  
"Let no joyful voice be heard!" Alex cries as the machine whirs to life, the fossil and the slavery collar beginning to rise and levitate in their containment tube. "Let no man look up at thy skies with hope! And let this day be cursed by thee who ready to wake... Thy PRIMIGON!"  
"**NOOOOOOOOOO!**" Andy screams as the rope around his neck tightens further and begins to suffocate him, and there is a blinding flash of light. Smoke pours everywhere, obscuring the whole chamber.  
The thing inside the machine opens its eyes, and the first thing it sees is Alex's face. Its enormous claws feel around the chamber, and then come across the slavery collar around its neck. Andy stares up at the thing's enormous form, his hair and clothes drenched in sweat, his eyes wide with terror. The monster's golden eyes stare down at him, seething with rage. And then the screech of fury reverberates throughout the whole chamber... and right in front of Andy and all his friends and foes, all hell breaks loose.

****************************************

The containment tube, still crackling with electricity, begins to crack with the strain of the monster's efforts to free itself. But these are tiny cracks; even with all its strength, the glass won't yield. But that won't stop the thing within, and opens its mouth, letting out another roar as a ball of green plasma forms inside it.

The guards tighten the ropes even further, as though expecting the monster to swoop down and devour them along with Andy, Ash, Aang, and Pi- or worse. Far, far worse.  
There is a flash of green light, and the whole machine explodes, raining glass everywhere. One of the flying glass shards slices into the ropes holding Andy and Ash, and they tumble to the floor, trembling.  
Now, as Andy looks up, he can see the monster in full view. It IS enormous all right. Its gigantic body is actually quite slender, almost like a skeleton, but terrifying nonetheless. Its green torso is laced with dark green bone-like stripes, and its long neck ends with a crested head with a super-sharp beak full of jagged teeth. Its tail is tipped with a green blade, and largest of all are its vast wings, membranous, serrated, and judging from appearance at least 30 feet wide. It rears up, extending these wings as much as the room can allow, and then lets out a shrieking roar that shakes the room so much that dust falls from the ceiling.  
Aang screams, Pi passes out, and Andy stares up in terror, tears forming in his eyes. The creature rears back its head, another green ball of energy forming in its mouth, and lets fly. There is a loud BOOM and a massive explosion of smoke, flames, and dust as the whole room is destroyed by the Dragon Pulse. When the air clears up again, the creature is scrabbling furiously through the exit tunnel and out of sight. The kids, freed by the explosion, dash off after the creature as it claws its way through the tunnels, heading for the only source of light - the outside world.  
At last, the great beast reaches the exit. Its huge claws tear deep gouges at the exit door as it squeezes its way out of the door. It is then that the kids appear behind the monster, unseen and unheard.  
"Whoa," Ash marvels, taking out his Pokedex. "That is one huge prehistoric creature."  
"_Primigon,_" says the Pokedex. "_The Ancestor Pokemon. "This ferocious Pokemon, armed with massive wings and jagged fangs, is widely thought to be the ancestor of modern Dragon Pokemon. Its skeleton resembles that of AERODACTYL, causing many to believe at first that it might be an evolution or even a different form of the same species. However, once it was revived by technology, it proved to be many times stronger and far more dangerous._"  
"More dangerous?" Pi gasps.  
"So if that thing gets out into the outside world," Aang shrieks, "it's gonna wreck the entire city!"  
"There goes my insurance deposit," bemoans an exasperated Andy. And with that, he siezes the Ancestor Pokemon's tail and starts pulling.  
"Andy! NO!" Ash screams, but it's too late. Primigon has already noticed Andy's prescence, and with one last effort, it rips its way out the door and zooms off erratically into the sky, carrying a screaming Andy along for the ride.  
"ANDY!" Pi, Ash, and Aang scream all at once, literally tumbling out the exit as they streak like rockets across the land after the enraged Primigon and its unexpected passenger.

"Did you see that?" says Meowth as he watches the huge creature flying overhead from the safety of their camo cover.  
"That's a Primigon," says James, checking his Pokedex cards. "The Ancestor Pokemon, I think."  
"Awesome!" says Jessie. "Holiday bonus, here we come!"  
"Wait a sec," says Meowth. "What's that on his tail?"  
James peers through his binoculars. "Hey, it's a kid! Maybe it's one of those twerps!"  
"I don't think so," says Meowth. "I've never seen any of those twerps dress like THAT before."  
"Hmmm," muses Jessie. "Mabye he could be useful. We could have our newest Team Rocket member AND a rare Pokemon! A match made in heaven indeed!"  
"Whaddya say?" says James. "Let's go!"  
And with that, the three fiends rush off, as usual completely unaware of who they are facing...

High above the land, Primigon's rage propels it onward. Still holding on to its tail, poor Andy has no hope of escape without dropping twenty stories to his messy doom.  
"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!**_" he screams, terrified, as he holds on for dear life to the monster's tail. The Primigon screams too, an angry, piercing, prehistoric scream. The whole city hears it. People flee in terror as the monster approaches.  
It's definitely no place for a picnic. Cars fly everywhere and/or explode. Buildings topple. Crowds of people stampede and trample each other in panic as the Ancestor Pokemon swoops over their heads, viciously snapping and slashing at every bit of flesh it can reach. And all the while, the Primigon's tail lashes viciously, attempting to loose the now thoroughly frightened teenager attached to it.  
In the midst of all the commotion, Andy, Aang, and Lapis race down the wrecked streets, following the carnage in a desperate bid to save their friend.  
"What are we gonna do?" Lapis screams. "The poor thing's gotta be dead from fright by now!"  
"We can't do anything," says Ash. "Primigon's too high up for us to reach Andy."  
But then Aang races ahead of them, clutching his Airbending staff. "Not if I can help it," he says. With the touch of a button, wings, membranous but super-strong, unfurl from his staff, turning it into some sort of glider. "Follow me!" he shouts as he launches himself skyward. "If I can get to him, I'll do everything to make sure I do!"  
As he streaks over the sky, the Avatar tries to get a glimpse of Andy and Primigon. They could be anywhere by now! But of course, there is one place he doesn't look - directly behind him. Primigon's roar alerts him to the fact that he is being followed. Swiftly and dextrously, he barrel-rolls in mid-air, just avoiding the giant predator. But just as he reaches for his best friend, the Ancestor Pokemon's tail slams him hard, and he tumbles like a glider plane in turbulence. He can now only resume his pursuit as the ancient dragon-beast continues its attack.  
Andy clutches still tighter to Primigon as it rampages down High Street. The panic consumes the entire area, with everyone on the ground practically trampling each other to escape.  
Well, ALMOST everyone.  
A pre-teen girl, with black hair in a bun, stands there, facing the oncoming Primigon, the little doll-like Pokemon floating next to her wearing a very concerned expression.  
"OUT OF THE WAY!" Andy screams at her, but her blind eyes only stare blankly ahead of her as Primigon zooms closer still.  
But Toph Bei Fong doesn't listen. Smiling confidently, spitting upon the street as she punches her right hand, Alabastin hovering just over her head - it's as if she's studying Primigon's motion, waiting for the perfect strike moment. "I don't think so," she says. "WEI OU, USE HIDDEN POWER!"  
The effect is all but instantaneous. There is a great shuddering explosion as Fariqui lets loose with a devestating blast of Psychic energy upon the road in front of them. With a shrieking roar, the "derailed" Primigon tumbles through the air, finally flinging poor Andy screaming towards her. But then, he is caught by some magical force - Wei Ou's Psychic - and hovers safely to the ground, while the admittedly less fortunate Primigon crash-lands into the pavement a mere twenty meters away, crashing into a building and ending up buried under the collapsing rubble.  
"Thanks," says Andy, scratching the back of his head and adding, ". . . I guess."  
"Not my problem," the Earthbender replies as she nonchalantly cleans out her left nostril with one of her fingers, as though nothing had happened.  
"Guys!" Ash and co. rush towards them, relieved and gratified. "Are you okay, Andy?" asks Aang as he lands next to him.  
"Traumatized but scratch-free," says Andy, patting Toph on the shoulder, "thanks to your sightless little friend here."  
"Hi," she says, noting the newcomers. "I'm Toph. And this is Wei Ou, my Alabastin." Alabastin twitters her species name joyously as she flutters around Toph's head.  
"Aww," says Pi as she takes out her Pokedex. "Alabastin just looks so cute!"  
"_ALABASTIN,_" says the Pokedex. "_The Doll Pokemon. ALABASTIN was originally a doll, but she became alive from the minds of people among it. This Pok mon likes to play with children, even as a toy. Although she doesn't have hands or feet, she can manipulate her enviroment using very strong psychic powers._"  
Just then, a familiar-looking taxi pulls over next to them. The door opens, and three familiar figures - the Waterbender and her brother, and the scarred Fire Prince - dismount from the taxi. "Aang!" Sokka cries as he rushes over to him and hugs him. "I'm so glad you're OK. How's the new guy?"  
"It's Ash," says Ash.  
"We know," says Katara. "Our Firebender friend here told your friends about you and Pikachu just today."  
"Hi," says Zuko, waving at Ash.  
"Hey," says Ash. "I know you! You're that taxi driver who took me to Parcel's lab!"  
"You can say that," says the Firebender. "Name's Zuko, by the way. Certified Academy graduate and honorary Fire Lord."  
"Then why do you drive a taxi?" asks Pi, confused.  
"Confidential Academy duties. Besides, if there's anything I hate about being the Firelord, it's the publicity. Need a lift, guys?"  
An angry roar gives the kids their answer. With a great ripping noise, Primigon explodes out of the rubble and screeches, eyeing them hungrily.  
"Tip's on me or we're dino chow," says Andy, snapping on his goggles and taking out a Pokeball. "Let's mosey."  
A while later, the eight friends are packed into a pair of conveniently parked taxis - Zuko driving one and Sokka piloting the other - are off after Primigon. "Man, can't this guy ever take ettiquete classes?" quips Sokka as they drive down the destroyed street. "He's totally leveled this place!"  
"They're like that," says Andy. "We speculated back at the lab that Primigon would mark their territory by razing everything within to the ground. I'll bet Primigon's claiming this city by himself, and he doesn't want anything else in it!"  
"Unless he intends them as a delicacy," adds Aang, grimacing in disgust at the thought. "And how do you know it's a he?"  
"Genetic testing," says Andy. "We can determine the appearance, gender, and abilities of any Pokemon, fossil or otherwise, in this way."  
Then the taxi brakes to a halt. Looming before them, a set of military tanks emerge from the descending evening light. "Attention," announces a military helicopter. "You are in a no-civilian zone. Please evacuate immediately."  
"Hey, we were gonna do just that!" screams Sokka angrily as he sticks his head out the window. But then he sees something in the rearview mirror that makes him shriek in alarm, duck back in, and shift into reverse gear.  
In a moment, Andy can see why. The Primigon has swooped above the street, roaring angrily. With one flap of its wings, it sends the taxi tumbling into a nearby alley.  
"There it is!" shouts one of the soldiers. "All units fire at will!"  
But it's useless, as you may expect. One Dragon Pulse later, and the tanks are nothing but scrap metal. Not a single shot was able to penetrate Primigon's rock-hard armor.  
The kids disembark from their taxis, preparing to face the still raging Primigon. "All right," says Andy. "Let's show this winged lizard what we're made of."  
"Right," says Aang, pressing another button on his staff. "Dragorsy, lend me your service! Flamethrower!"  
"You too, Fortrius," says Zuko, taking out a red and gold Pokeball. "Flamethrower as well!"  
The Fire-type Pokemon burst out of their Pokeballs with two flashes of light - the tiny fire pony appearing from one Pokeball, a huge red-and-black two-headed dog from the other. There is a blast of intense heat as three streams of fire strike Primigon's back, causing it to turn and face them.  
Suddenly, the ground begins to vibrate slightly. Pebbles at Andy's feet begin moving. Toph begins to shift her postition rapidly, her face now carrying an expression of anxiousness. Wei Ou seems to be agitated as well.  
"There's something in the ground beneath us," says Toph. "And it's moving fast!"  
But Primigon, still in the air, is unaffected by this development. It screeches and curves back its head, and a green ball of light appears in its mouth. "Get ready, guys," Andy growls as he glares up at the monster's Dragon Pulse. "Here it comes!" The Ancestor Pokemon rears ominously, beating its wings as it prepares to blast our heroes out of existence...  
**WHOOOOOSH!**  
An enormous silver-gray something explodes out of the ground in front of them, scoring a direct hit with Double Edge in Primigon's chest. The prehistoric monster screeches in rage and alarm as it is thrown sky-high and crashes to the ground, misfiring and throwing green energy a everywhere. The great creature is struck in the midsection but rears up, unharmed, and as the dust clears the kids can see it clearly - enormous, 30 ft long, with a long sinuous body resembling a chain of iron chunks. Its great spike-laden head splits almost entirely as it opens its mouth, filled to the brim with razor-sharp teeth, and unleashes a roar that shatters the nearby windows and makes the earth shake. This distraction gives Andy, Ash and the others enough time to race off to the safety of the covered arcade nearby.  
"What in the name of Ranima is THAT?" gasps Aang, whipping out his Pokedex.  
"_STEELIX,_" it says in a techno-female voice. "_The Iron Snake Pokemon. It is known to burrow up to a mile into the earth. The geothermal pressure it experiences as it digs makes its body hard as diamond, making it extremely powerful._"  
"Ash!" a familiar voice exclaims. "Are you all right?"  
Another boy, in his older teens with tanned skin and spiky brown hair, rushes over to them. The vest he wears is dark green-brown, with orange sleeves, and his eyes look permanently closed.  
"Brock!" Ash cries, surprised and elated. "You're here too?"  
"Yeah," says Brock, cracking his knuckles. "And so is Steelix. Quite the veteran, aren't you?" he asks Steelix, who roars again in agreement.  
"I'd say," says Katara. "Considering he just got nailed by a full-blown Dragon Pulse that didn't leave a scratch, I'd have to agree with you."  
Needless to say, Brock instantly rushes up to her. "Wowwww, Ash brought some friends too? Now I wanna put a saddle on Steelix and ask him to take us out to dinner!"  
WHAM!  
A hand, appearing completely out of nowhere, slams Brock in the back of the head, momentarily stunning him. "Now now," says Aang, patting Brock on the back of the head with that same hand. "For your information, Katara is MY girlfriend and I recommend you steer clear of her." "Okay," says Brock.  
But Primigon isn't finished yet. With a shriek it rears up from the rubble, and ascends skyward again. Now Brock decides to take charge. "All right, Steelix," he orders. "Let's do this thing!" Steelix roars again, and Primigon wheels around in the sky to face him. "Here it comes," he says. "Let's start with a good DragonBreath!"  
The Iron Snake Pokemon opens its massive jaws, and lets loose a brilliant blue beam that seems as though it could vaporize its foe. But Primigon folds its wings, and veers out of harm's way, screeching again. "What?" Brock gasps, amazed at the Ancestor Pokemon's surprising agility. "Steelix, look out!"  
Primigon's talons suddenly glow white. With a great slashing motion, it tears deep gouge marks into Steelix's face, causing it to recoil in pain. "Whoa," gasps Andy. "That was Metal Claw, and a powerful one too!"  
Primigon veers upwards again, and Steelix roars as it tries to reach it. "Steelix," Brock encourages. "Just because that thing can fly doesn't mean you can't beat it! Use Iron Tail as it comes down!"  
Steelix roars in reply, and as it watches Primigon swoop down, it lashes out with its tail, which glows white as it strikes the foe. But it's in for a nasty surprise.  
Now, Primigon's entire wings glow white, and it blocks the attack and throws Steelix into the air. "Oh no," Andy gasps in horror. "Is it just me or does Primigon know Brick - "  
And before he can speak any further, Primigon has wheeled around and struck with another Brick Break again, taking out Steelix before it can react. There is a flash of light, and a roar of pain as Steelix crashes to the ground. And that's the end of that - the poor Steel/Ground type has fainted outright. With a roar of triumph, Primigon zooms skyward, and in a twinkling he's out of sight.  
"Uh, guys?" says Sokka, emerging from the rubble. "Can you set the Terror-O-Meter to code yellow? I seriously need to change my underwear right now."  
"You'd better," Andy snarls, tossing his Pokeball in his talons. "Because that Alex is going to pay for what he's done... BIG time."

While our heroes are debating what to do next, Pikachu, Volarimp, Frimbella, and Fhuriegle are all having a spot of dinner at a nearby restaraunt. Well, really the waste bins at the back of the place. _'Man,'_ says Pikachu (in Pokemon language), gnawing on an apple core. _'I'm starving. So much so that I could eat a Ponyta.'_  
_'I understand how you would feel,'_ replies Fhuriegle as he helps himself to half a drumstick. _'I do enjoy a bit of scavenging myself.'_  
_'It's a bit ironic isn't it?'_ Volarimp quips as he extracts a piece of Nanab Berry from the wastebin and peels it. _'Just half an hour ago, you were minding your own business and trying to eat us.'_  
_'But now,'_ says Zach, _'instead of you having us over for dinner, we're having dinner with you.'_  
_'I suppose it matters that you saved me from that human,'_ says Fhuriegle.  
_'Well,'_ says Pikachu, _'it's never a wise idea to stick around when there's a gang of poachers on the loose, so I'll let you off with that. Oh, and speaking of which, what have you heard lately about the Pokemon Hunter gang that's - uh, loose in the area, did I say something to offend you?'_  
Fhuriegle had suddenly stopped eating and looked round at Pikachu. _'You mean the humans we just escaped from? No, no need to worry about being eaten for offending me, Pikachu,'_ he says. _'However, I regret to say that Pokemon Hunter Alexander and his team aren't above terrorizing all of us now.'_  
_'What's so scary about Alexander?'_ asks Pikachu.  
_'Oh, he's scarier than a Grimeeper with a blister on his royal parts, you know,'_ shudders Volarimp. _'He's a human, true, but not like any I've ever seen. He's drop-dead terrifying. Even if he's merely standing in the room with you, he'll still give you nightmares. He's ten times our size, and his evil glowing eyes stare right into your soul... like he wants to steal it from your body.'_  
_'How do you know of this?'_ Pikachu asks, confused.  
_'Zach and I met him personally,'_ Volarimp replies.  
_'Well, not really,'_ says Zach. _'His goons are the ones who do all the dirty work. He has all the fun of terrorizing everyone in the vicinity. My owner and I were captured by his forces just yesterday, and I managed to catch a glimpse of him and his Pokemon. There was one with tiny Sevipers for hair, another with the head and horns of a Tauros - all of them are frightening in their own way. The Seviper-haired one totally owned Andy's Illbis (another of his Pokemon). And then Alex turned to face me, and stared right at me... as though I were next,'_ he finishes, shuddering in fear.  
_'Don't worry,'_ says Volarimp. _'They will move on, and soon things will be back to normal.'_  
_'I guess so,'_ says Pikachu. _'But if those guys move to another place, what would the Pokemon THERE do?'_  
_'I don't know,'_ says Fhuriegle, polishing off the last of his drumstick. _'But then again I wouldn't want to find out.'_  
Having finished their meal, the four friends look round inside the diner. Frimbella peers through the window, and scans the place for danger.  
_'All clear,'_ he says._ 'Let's move before they return.'_  
But just then, Fhuriegle pounces upon him, seizes him by the tail, and carries him up to the roof again.  
_'What was that for?'_ asks an annoyed Zach, rubbing his smarting tail.  
_'Quiet,'_ Fhuriegle clicks his golden beak. _'We are being hunted.'_ He indicates the skylight, and Pikachu and Volarimp look down through it. There, ordering donuts and coffee, is that familiar silver-haired man, and boy is he upset.

"So," says the cashier, a teenage boy with freckles, as he pours the shady figure a coffee. "Not a good week for you, huh mister?"  
"No," replies Alex. "Not good at all. Four Pokemon, four escapes, one rotten day."  
"Oh dear," says the cashier. "Well I hope you're happy with that."  
"You think I'd be happy?" snaps Alex. "It's not like I should be ashamed of myself for not knowing better. But I must admit, that winged kid's right. With an angry Primigon on the loose, there's bound to be calamity. But then again - " he sips his coffee - "I have a fetish of sorts for death and destruction."  
But then he notices something's wrong. The cashier has stopped talking, and suddenly looks tense. There is a noise from above the building, sounding like the rush of something approaching with enormous wings. "What's that sound?" asks the cashier.  
WHOOOOSH! A huge set of claws, each the size of a car tire, carve a neat set of twenty-foot gashes into the ceiling, ripping off shingles and sending bits of wood and metal to the floor. People scream and begin to run for the door in terror; Alex and the cashier, meanwhile, just stand there, confused, but only for a moment.  
"Speaking of death and destruction... " begins the cashier, but he trails off. "No need to talk," says Alex as he snatches his crossbow and prepares to leave. "It's time to teach that flying doggie treat a lesson."

On the rooftop, Pikachu, Volarimp, and Fhuriegle look on as Primigon flies off into the night. They had a very narrow escape, which was pretty apt given that Pikachu nearly lost his balance as the Ancestor Pokemon's claws sliced through the roof just a foot away from him, only barely missing the skylight where he and his friends were standing.  
_'Hop on!'_ Fhuriegle screeches as he aims his beak skyward and spreads his wings. Pikachu leaps onto the Steel Eagle's back, and together the three friends take off into the sky after Primigon.  
In the air, the team can cover more ground. Fhuriegle, with Pikachu on his back, takes the lead, while the other two flank on either side in a V-formation. _'We can cover more ground if we spread out,'_ says Pikachu. _'I knew you'd say that,'_ says Fhuriegle. _'Besides, it will be easier if he can only focus on one of us at a time.'_  
Below them, Primigon streaks through the city, heading for the outer perimeter where the enemy is waiting. Andy and co. try and keep pace with him, barreling down the alleys and turning corners attempting to keep him in sight.  
"He's headed for the docks!" says Andy as the kids race down the streets after Primigon. "We've gotta intercept him!"  
_'He's headed for the docks!'_ says Pikachu as the Pokemon fly overhead. _'We've gotta intercept him!'_  
Both teams finally manage to reach the docks, and as expected Ash finally gets to see Pikachu.  
"Pikachu!" he shouts in joy. "You're alive!"  
"Not for long, twerps," says a voice nearby, as a net bursts out of nowhere and entangles the Pokemon for the second time today.  
"What WAS that?" says Andy.

"What is that mysterious sound?" (Jessie)  
"It's the promise of riches unbound!" (James)  
"It's Bigger!" (Jessie)  
"It's Badder!" (James)  
"And trust us, it's WAY Better!" (Meowth)  
"Consummate skill is our greatest specialty!" (Jessie)  
"Our firepower's the best in the galaxy!" (James)  
"Jessie!" (Jessie)  
"James!" (James)  
"And Meowth, that's my name!" (Meowth)  
"Team Rocket, the ultimate weapon, flying straight and true!" (Jessie)  
"And for our first target..." (James)  
"We're starting with you!" (all)  
"WAAAAAAA-Buffet!" (Wobbuffet)  
"Mime mime!" (Mime Jr.)

Andy looks at them for one second, his eyebrows raised - and bursts out laughing.  
"Oh, what's so funny, twerp?" asks Jessie angrily.  
"Seriously, you don't really LOOK that imposing, don't you?" Andy hiccups back to seriousness. "But yes, from now on, I'm an official twerp, just like the rest of my buddies."  
"How did you know about the twerp thing?" asks Meowth, outraged.  
"Let's just say," says Andy, twitching his ears, "that I wasn't exactly well known for my shortness of hearing."  
"Great," says James. "NOW what did we do?"  
But then a roar comes nearby. "I know you wanna steal some of our Pokemon, but now's really not the best of times. If you excuse me, I've got a Primigon to catch."  
He pronounces it "Pry-mee-gon."  
"It's pronounced 'Pri-me-gon', twerp," says Meowth, but Andy leaps forth with lightning speed, snatching the net away from them, and rushes off after the Primigon, only stopping to say "Thanks guys! Or should I say, 'jerks'?"  
"Hey!" shouts Jessie. "That Primigon's ours, twerp-o!"  
"Oh no, it's not."  
The shadowy figure with silver hair has appeared again. And he is angry as hell.  
"Hey, who invited you?" shouts James.  
"The name is Alex. And I am pleasured to make your acquaintance... but only for a half-second. Warriors, do not let anyone claim our prize! We need him. He's the perfect weapon."  
The warrior goons surround both TR and Ash & co., spears raised, holding them back. But before they can do anything more, there is a loud roar, and Primigon suddenly appears! With a screech of anger, it swoops at its captors, talons and beak extended. "Move!" Alex shouts. Everyone flees as Primigon tears at the humans viciously.  
"Oh no you don't," says Andy to himself, having escaped the goons' attention. "I'm not letting you flatten Argent City again. Not this time." And with that, he rushes forth as the monster swoops again, clutching his Pokeball in one hand, and extending the claws on the other. With a thrust of his legs, he leaps twelve feet in the air, catching the monster's collar. The Slavery Collar.  
And now Andy can see the real cause of the monster's rage. As soon as he touches the button in the center, he feels a jolt of searing pain. The collar is giving off a massive electric shock, driving the poor Pokemon crazy!  
"All right, I've had it," says Jessie as she takes out a Pokeball. "Let's go, Seviper!"  
The huge serpentine Pokemon appears with a flash of white light. Its body is long, black, and covered in purple scars, shining yellow hexagons, and small bumps on the underside. Its tail is huge, with a massive red blade, to go with its enormous red fangs and staring red eyes. It hisses viciously as Primigon comes in for the kill.  
"All right, show him what you've got!" Jessie shouts. "Poison Tail!"  
Andy shrieks as Seviper's tail glows purple. He dives out of the way, hitting the ground hard, as the Fang Snake Pokemon slashes at the Slave Collar with its tail, inciting a massive jolt that sends it reeling to the ground as well.  
Primigon, enraged at this, whips out its tail, which glows white, and slams poor Seviper with an Iron Tail so hard it knocks it out in one shot.  
"Physical attacks will not do against that Slave Collar," says Andy as he jumps to his feet. "We need another way to bust that thing."  
"Well," says Ash, "if we can't get to it from the outside, guess there's only one way to defeat the collar. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"  
"Pika... CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!" But Primigon, seeing the Thunderbolt as a threat to it, veers out of the way. Again and again, Pikachu tries to shock the Slave Collar, but Primigon dodges over and over, roaring.  
Andy sees that Primigon is about to fly away over the ocean. At first, his mind whirls in panic. But then, an idea comes to him.  
The roar alerts him to Primigon's approach. Its talons extend, preparing to strike, but Andy leaps out of the way just in time. His fingers fly like Spinarak, latching onto the collar again. "Pikachu!" he shouts. "Wait till it flies over the water and then Thunderbolt on me!"  
_'Thunderbolt on you?'_ Pikachu exclaims in his Pokemon language._ 'Isn't that supposed to be a bit harsh?'_  
_'JUST DO IT!'_ Andy screams. _'It's the only way I can bust this thing!'_  
_'If I must,'_ says Pikachu. The enraged Primigon is still flying around like crazy, trying to shake off its collar. Team Rocket, Ash and co., and Alex's gang are all working independently to try and control Primigon. Seviper lashes out with its Poison Tail again, but misses and tumbles into the water. Taurymanox tries to attack with its fists, but Primigon slams it hard with Brick Break, sending it flying through a small fishing shack.  
It's Pikachu who gets there first. As he launches the final Thunderbolt, Andy extends his right hand while keeping the left around the Slave Collar. "FOR VICTORY!" he screams, as the electric shock makes contact, and the grip on his other hand shifts to the central control unit. The charge races through him and into the circuit, short-circuiting it.  
_**KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**_  
The Slave Collar explodes. Alex screams. And Primigon and Andy crash through the dock and into the waters below, sending everyone flying.

"So much for an entrance," says Jessie.  
"You really have to say that?" asks James.  
"On the plus side, at least we've got our first taste of Kroel," says Meowth, with Wobbuffet adding, "Waaaaa-buffet!"  
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAAAAAAAAIN!" Team Rocket cries as they dissappear into the sky.

Below the pier, Andy and Primigon tumble into the water. Primigon, knocked out by the explosion, begins to sink, but Andy, seeing his only chance, takes out a Pokeball and slams it against the blade on the Ancestor Pokemon's tail. There is a flash of red light, a splutter of sparks, and Primigon is, well, gone. And Andy can now ascend safely to the surface and breathe easy.  
But of course, his plan did come at a cost. When Andy feels around his jacket to make sure he didn't break anything, he discovers that his talisman is gone. The teenager tries to glimpse underwater, his goggled brown eyes scanning for a glint of gold, but nothing. The talisman is, apparently, truly gone. With a last sad sigh, he resurfaces and, taking the rope that Ash & co. have lowered through the hole in the pier, begins his ascent to safety.  
As for Alex and his gang? What happened that moment is still unknown. They seem to have vanished, gone into the blue... but they will have to return. Soon.

"I'm sorry to hear about your talisman," says Ash later that evening.  
"It's OK," says Andy. "I know that talisman was the most valuable thing I ever had, but it was only a thing. The important part is that I'm still alive."  
"Obviously," says Katara, "you will need every bit of your life from this moment on. I'm glad you made it back safely."  
"On the plus side," says Sokka, "at least you don't have to worry about being insulted by any rude Pokemon you come across."  
Andy looks at him for a moment, but then he smiles a bit.  
"And you have us too," says Lapis. "We'll be there, no matter what happens."  
"Always," adds Aang.  
"True," says Toph. "But what about Andy's talisman?"  
"Don't worry," says Zuko. "It was just a talisman. We'll just get you a new one."  
"I could get some of my Pokemon to dig up a new ancient artifact for you," says Brock, grinning.  
"Thanks," says Andy, brushing back his straggly black hair, "but no thanks. That talisman is actually my most prized possession. 'Was,' I meant. It has a very special power that I can't afford to lose, so I won't do with a replacement."  
"Well, so much for asking," says Zuko, with a sad smile.  
"If you really like that talisman so much, we might as well get it back," says Ash, with Pikachu resting on his shoulder. "Even if we have to dive to the bottom of the sea, we'll still get that little golden trinket for you."  
"Really?" Andy looks around at him, surprised.  
"Really," says Aang. "That's what friends do, after all." As if to corroborate this, Volarimp leaps onto his shoulder and shoves his headband over his eyes awkwardly.  
"Normally," says Andy, "I'd be pretty suspicious of an offer like that, but since it came from the right people, I guess we'll make that our mission. And THEN after that Ash can begin buisness with the Kroel League."  
"Speaking of which... " says Lapis, indicating the top of Ash's head.  
Ash looks up, and is surprised to see Fhuriegle perched upon his hat. He looks down upon him, trilling softly.  
"You want to come?" asks the Pokemon Trainer, and the Steel Eagle Pokemon hoots pleasantly.  
"All right," says Ash, taking out a Pokeball. "Welcome to the team, Fhuriegle."  
And with that, Fhuriegle pecks the Pokeball's center button, effectively capturing itself.  
"Yeah!" Ash strikes a victory pose as usual. "I caught Fhuriegle!"  
"See?" says Andy. "You're now on your way to the winner's circle. And so are we. Of course, my services will still come of great value to you and your company during the times ahead."  
"So what's your point?"  
"In return for your generous offer, as soon as we recover my talisman, I am more than willing to accompany you on your journey."  
"You will?"  
"Yeah, go figure. But anyway, even without that talisman I'll still be of some use after all. Right, Zach?"  
And as if on cue, Zach hops up onto his shoulder and nuzzles his cheek. "You can say that again," he says.  
And so, as the rest of Team Avatar wave goodbye to their departing figures, our heroes begin the long winding road toward the beautiful red sunset and their new Pokemon journey. Well, Zach is still sitting on Andy's shoulder for the comfort. On the plus side, Andy thinks, at least HE can still speak English.

[Andy:]_ "So to make an exhaustingly long story short, it WAS a very tough but exciting day. I did lose my talisman, true, but I learned that there are far more valuable things that are even more greatly prized. And the best of all, of course, are the lifelong bonds and trusts that caring and friendship can bring."_

**To be continued...**

****************************************  
As always, read and review! And please, if you can, help me find my damned talisman! XD

Pokemon (c) Nintendo  
Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) Nickolodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko  
Professor Parcel, all fakemon (c) Darksilvania

-SS


	3. Chapter 3: Wings and Things

Hey guys, SkarmorySilver again. Here's the next chapter of Pokemon: Iron/Copper. We now get to here Andy's backstory, and get introduced to a few new Powermon to boot. That is all I need to say here, am I right?

Once again: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAKEMON FEATURED IN THIS FANFICTION. All Powermon belong to Juan Pablo, aka Darksilvania, whose deviantART account can be found here:

darksilvania . deviantart . com (remove spaces)

Now, with that out of the way, let's get on with the story. So sit back, put on your pith helmet, and enjoy the show. ;)

****************************************  
**Chapter 3: Wings and Things**

Ep 3: **Wings and Things** (Andy reads the title card.)

[Andy:] _"For those of you who missed the last episode, our journey had a rocky start for me, Aang, and Little Miss Lazuli, especially the part with the freak accident involving a rampaging Primigon and a bunch of wretched Pokemon thieves. We won, true, but I lost my talisman in the process. Now, our new quest is to get it back, though there's bound to be an occasion where someone's gonna get... um, 'sidetracked.'"_

Walking through a beautiful forest road, Andy, Ash, Brock, Aang, and Lapis are busy admiring the scenery. Their path runs next to a river which, as our heroes are about to find out, serves as the residence of a variety of wonderful Pokemon.  
A splash in the river catches Andy's attention. There's something in the water, but what is it?  
"Hey Pi," says Andy. "Is it just me, or is there someone in the river?"  
"More like someTHING," says Aang.  
Pi looks around, curious. "Okay, so what is it this time?"  
A moment later, that question is answered. A small blue head appears. It looks a bit fish-like, but it also appears mammalian. Its smooth, rubbery skin is light blue with a cream underside, and its large forehead contrasts with its narrow snout, split by a grinning mouth. Its blue eyes stare up, unblinkingly, matching the blue-and-lime-green flotation tube around its neck.  
In short, it's a tiny dolphin. And a cute one too. Perfect for our favorite blue-headed girl's newest Pokemon.  
"Made you look," says Andy, indicating the new Pokemon.  
But Pi doesn't mind Andy's quip. Immediately, she starts fawning upon the little Pokemon. "Wow!" she cries. "It's so cute!"  
"Yeah," says Ash, taking out his Pokedex, "but what IS it?"  
"_DOLPHIND_," says the Pokedex. "_The Smart Pokemon. This little Pokemon lives in groups near the surface of oceans, using some kind of ultrasonic language as a communication mechanism. Pods will usually eat fish such as MAGIKARP, 'herding' them with their sonar pings. When threatened by SHARPEDO or other ocean predators, however, DOLPHIND will unite as a group and use their Psychic powers together to protect themselves._"  
"I wanna catch it!" Pi exclaims in ectasy. "Dolphind will be PERFECT for my contest debut!"  
"Whoa whoa whoa, bogey at 12:00 there," says Andy, holding her back with his hand. "You've only got one Pokemon. It'll be a very difficult task, for someone who's only been a Pokemon trainer for two days."  
"What do you mean?" Pi snaps at him. "I can handle this myself!" And with that she takes out a blue Pokeball and hurls it in the air. "Triton, let's go!"  
Triton, the little Hiponea, bursts out of its Pokeball with a flash of light. He neighs excitedly as he splashes into the waters of the river.  
"All right," says Pi, confidence coursing through her veins. "Let's start this off with Water Gun!"  
The little Sea Horse Pokemon promptly unleashes a stream of pressurized water. But Dolphind is ready for him. Its eyes glow pale pink, and then the jet of water strangely curves back and slams Hiponea in the face.  
"What the - oh man, I didn't realize Dolphind was a Psychic type!" Pi gasps. And now Dolphind dives under the water, prompting Hiponea to do the same.  
As Hiponea descends, he can see Dolphind's body clearly now. The creature is small, with a semi-humanoid, slightly chubby blue body. The short arms have cute, flipper-like hands with white palms, as well as flotation rings similar to the one around its neck. Its flipper-like legs look almost like a rabbit's, with long feet sporting white pads like the palm pads. And of course, it has a short tail with a small blue fluke, complete with another flotation ring.  
This tail is apparently the propulsion mechanism for the little Smart Pokemon. With a downward swish, it propels Dolphind towards Hiponea, building up speed for a Tackle attack. Hiponea dodges, but the wake sends it tumbling through the water and it ends up getting hit on the second turn. And when the Sea Horse Pokemon tries to use a Fin Slap upon its opponent, he ends up recieving a face-full of Aqua Jet, sending him flying clear out of the water!  
"Don't give up now," says Pi, seeing this. "Use Water Gun again!"  
This time, however, it is not water coming out of Hiponea's mouth. It is a beam of pure cold, which strikes the Aqua Jet and freezes it into an icy shield.  
Which slams Hiponea right between its fins.  
The poor Sea Horse hits the ground, hard, while Dolphind splashes back into the water and swims out of sight.  
"Ohhh, I wanted to catch it," groans Lapis.  
"Don't be upset," says Brock. "Hiponea learned Ice Beam. That should help next time."  
"Your battling style needs a bit of improvement," says Andy. "Given a bit more time, you'll master the art of training Pokemon like I did."  
"And your point?" snaps Pi angrily.  
Andy pauses a bit. "It's... " he stutters slightly, "It's - it's complicated. Now isn't really the time to explain the whole thing."  
"But Ash has to know," says Pi. "If whatever you have in mind really is so important for you," says Ash, "then why aren't you telling us?"  
Andy looks at him for a moment. "If I told you right now," he says, "you'd probably believe me when teenagers fly."  
"When teenagers fly?" scoffs Ash. "As if THAT would ever happen."  
"Oh, you will believe me," says Andy. "When I tell you my story, I KNOW you will."

Later, the team has set up camp. Naturally, Ash and Aang are eager to start training as soon as possible. "All right, let's do this," says Ash. "Let's go, Pikachu!"  
The yellow Mouse Pokemon promptly takes his position in front of Ash. Its expression and posture look confident, ready to fight.  
Standing on the other end of the practice field, Andy glances up at his opponent's Pokemon, and smirks confidently. "Hey Zach," he calls to the side. "There's a practice battle going on. You wanna join?"  
A light blue lizard, crouched near a clump of berry-laden bushes, perks up when his ears register this. With a confused look, he licks his eyeball in momentary surprise, and then rushes over to join his trainer, leaving the unusually tiny gray Politoed he was chasing just now to scamper off into the bushes and out of sight.  
"I take it you DO wanna join," says Andy, as his Frimbella hops onto his shoulder with a smile. "You bet I am," says Zach.  
"Then stop fawning me and get out on the field," Andy smirks at him. Laughing to himself, the Gliding Pokemon scampers down his arm and takes his stance and position.  
As if by instinct, the Avatar positions himself at the edge of the field between the two trainers, his little Dragorsy, Appa, keeping close to him as usual. "The battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Andy of Flamel City is about to - "  
"It's Jetstorm City, Aang!" Andy shouts at him as he takes out his little handheld communicator.  
"Oh, sorry. Ahem, The battle between Ash of Pallet Town and Andy of Jetstorm City is about to begin. This will be a one-on-one battle between Flash the Pikachu and Zach the Frimbella. Ready, GO!"  
After noticing that Pi and Andy had given their Pokemon nicknames, Ash had decided to give his two Pokemon names as well - Pikachu was formally referred to as "Flash," for his Electric powers, and Fhuriegle as "Quil" for his avian lineage.  
"You first, Ash," says Andy, grinning.  
"All right. Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"  
The Mouse Pokemon glows yellow as he rushes towards Zach. But Zach isn't trying to avoid him, he's just standing there. "Wait for it," says Andy to himself in a low voice that only he can hear. Just as Pikachu is about to make contact, Andy decides it is time. "Zach, report to aerial control and use Sand Attack! Over and out!"  
Almost immediately, an umbrella-like dark blue frill explodes around Zach's neck, and the rush of Fhuriegle's wings causes him to float into the air, using the fins on his dark blue arms to keep his balance.  
"A Flying-type warrants an Electric-type move," Ash thinks aloud to himself. "Pikachu, use Thundershock!"  
"Pika... CHUUUUUUUUUUU!" The Thunderbolt streaks through the sky, but Zach is ready for it. With a flick of his long tail, he deflects the T-bolt, diffusing it into yellow sparks in the sky.  
"What?" Ash shouts in surprise.  
"Remember, Frimbella is a Ground-type as well as a Flying-type," Andy says, unconcerned. "Now, Sand Attack! Over."  
"Roger that, Cap'n," says Frimbella, and then he begins whirling in a circle, causing a tornado of sand that then zooms towards Pikachu.  
"Pikachu! Dodge it!" screams Ash, but it is too late. The dust storm slams Pikachu hard, sending him tumbling out of the field and taking him out of the match as well as injuring him.  
"Man, that was quick," says Aang, scratching the back of his neck in confusion.  
"If you'd wanted to make this a longer battle, you should've chosen Mach the Fhuriegle instead of Pikachu," says Andy as Fhuriegle hops back onto his right shoulder. "That's your problem. You always rush into things without thinking about how to do them right."  
"And your point?" Ash shouts at him, now clearly in a bad mood due to his loss. "How exactly did YOU become the Pokemon trainer that you are?"  
"I said it was complicated," says Andy as he starts walking back towards the camp.  
"But you said you'd tell us," says Ash, who proceeds to walk alongside him with Pikachu in his arms. "I need to know. You said it was important."  
"But you wouldn't believe me."  
"Andy, I've spent more than three years as a Pokemon Trainer and believe me, I've been through a lot of weird things during all my travels around the world."  
"Well, I'VE spent SIX years as a Pokemon Trainer. Happy?"  
"Okay... NOW I'm confused."  
Andy looks at him with a stern expression. "If you really want to know, and if you're willing to believe me, then I'll be willing to tell you. However, I can only tell of my past to all of you."  
"All of us?"  
"You aren't the only one who must know, Ash. I personally don't like it when people ask too many questions about me. It is better if the others know about me, and the rest of us as well."  
The two Trainers have now arrived at the camp, which is situated in a forest clearing near a sparkling blue lake. Lapis and Brock are fixing dinner as usual.  
"Hey guys," says Andy. "Anything good for dinner tonight?"  
"Well," says Brock, "we do have some of my famous Pewter Five-Alarm Chili. And perhaps a bit of fruit salad on the bargain."  
"Mmmm, I could do with a good five-alarmer," says Andy, licking his lips. "And while I'm at it, I've got a nice little campfire story served up for dessert."  
"A campfire story?" Lapis perks up. "I love campfire stories!"  
"Great," says Aang, "but what exactly is this 'campfire story?'"  
"You'll know soon enough," says Andy. "I'll tell it to you at dinner."  
"You mean right now," says Brock. "This stuff's been simmering for two hours now."  
"Yeah," Andy says hesitantly. "Right now."  
After around three minutes, everyone's digging in to Brock's five-alarm chili with great enthusiasm. Zach, of course, isn't above eating out of Andy's bowl, but Andy doesn't mind. He has his friendship.  
"So tell me," says Ash, dousing the spicy taste with his soda, "How exactly DID you become a Pokemon Trainer?"  
"Well," says Andy, gulping down another mouthful of chili, "my story doesn't begin on my tenth birthday. I was no ordinary kid at all, as you would be. My story begins long ago, even before I was born... "

***BEGIN FLASHBACK***  
Sixteen years before our current timeframe, a woman races down the streets of Erhart city, terrified. Behind her, a group of armed thugs on hovercycles streaks down the street, destroying everything in sight - fire hydrants, streetlamps, windows, and the occasional parking meter - in mad pursuit of her.  
[Andy:] **"Sixteen years ago, the major cities of Kroel weren't exactly the safest places to be. They were hotbeds for fighting, maiming, and most dreadful of all, killing."**  
The woman screeches to a halt in front of an old, run-down apartment. Inside, her husband awaits. "What is it, sweetie?" he asks. "They're coming," says the woman. "Who's coming?"  
Then a parked car nearby explodes, and then three of the bad guys appear at the door.  
The woman utters a single word: "Plasma."  
[Andy:] **"The most infamous gang in the world: Team Plasma. My mother feared them, my father hated them. But most of all, it was they who hated us."**  
The next few minutes are total chaos. Guns fire, bullets fly, things explode. But the husband stays put. He will not leave his lover. There is a massive explosion. The wife screams. Debris flies everywhere, fire lights the sky as the apartment collapses. The wife escapes, but it is too late to save her husband.  
[Andy:] **"My mom told me when I was little that my father had died before I was even born. It must have happened while she was several weeks pregnant. For when she escaped to Flamel City, she enlisted the help of Professor Parcel. He was the only one who could ensure that what happened to her husband would never happen to her son."**  
At the lab, Parcel does everything he can to the still-developing embryo, now growing in vitro, courtesy of the miracles of stem-cell research. DNA is rearranged. Genes are enhanced. But even with the newest technology, who knows what will happen?  
Soon after the first few experiments, the embryo is left with so many others to grow. It sits in a little test tube full of growth formula, indistinguishable from the dozens of others surrounding it.  
[Andy:] **"Parcel, it is said, did more than just experiment with biomechanics and medicine. He had formed a special coalition with several other scientists who were experimenting with how the genes of Pokemon could enhance those of humans. Alas, though, this wasn't to last either, for as my mother told me, Team Plasma wasn't the kind of organization to give up so easily."**  
_**KABOOM!**_  
A massive explosion rocks the lab. People panic as equipment and samples are destroyed. Team Plasma is back, and they want seconds.  
The woman, Amelia, races through the chaos towards the lab, to ensure that her child is okay. But when she gets there, what she finds is a horrible mess. Tubes are strewn everywhere, equipment destroyed. All the embryos have been destroyed in the commotion.  
All except one. Somehow, the embryo must have been forgotten in the chaos. But there it is, lying in a pool of Pokemon blood.  
It is her own embryo.  
[Andy:] **"I may have survived by luck, or perhaps by destiny. But one thing is for sure - my life, and my mom's, would never be the same."**  
Amelia's embryo is the only one to survive to maturity. The child she nurtures is unusual, even among the others. It is not known how the DNA he recieved mutated him. But he is still fragile, both physically and spiritually. Strange dreams of blood and shadowy figures plague him for many nights.  
[Andy:] **"When I was still a child, everyone called me 'the weird kid of the family.' Nobody ever liked me, and I was bullied by many in the school I attended. It was bad enough that they always called me 'Mr. Ugly-Wugly-Pee-Pee-Pantsy.'"**  
And not only that; at the school where he attends, they call him all sorts of things - "Loser!" "Jerk!" "Dung-head!" "Snot-brain!" Once or twice, the school bullies have fun by beating him up, like they do with all the other 'weird kids' around. "Stop hitting yourself!" says one bully, using Andy's own 6-year-old fist to bash him in the face. "Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!"  
[Andy:] **"But that was nothing. NOTHING. Nothing, that is, when compared to the pain, the anguish, the recurring visions and nightmares of what could have been. What, some say, SHOULD have been. I never stopped dreaming about Team Plasma, but that was only just the start of it. When I tried to tell everyone, nobody believed me. They thought I was just crying Houndoom - even though I really was being honest, considering all the news the most evil organization in Kroel was making."**  
The sounds of all the children laughing at him, scorning his dire warnings of the rise of Team Plasma, while the screams and terrified panic that the other peoples are experiencing echo throughout all the major cities in Kroel - even after all these years, they still echo in our present-day Andy, who has somehow lost his appetite and leaves the rest of his five-alarm-chili to Zach. The pain he is experiencing inside is too great for any other emotion, any other stimulus to overcome.  
[Andy:] **"My mother, Amelia, was the only one who believed me. She was the only one, because she had seen it herself. But how she could help me, how she could help her fragile and defenseless son, nobody never knew or cared. Until one cold winter's day, eight years ago... "**  
Eight years before the present time, snow falls deep and fast over the wintery Temperate Kroel. While all the kids around are having fun, throwing snowballs with their friends and family, a certain eight-year-old with a spiral-patterned scarf is walking through the forest near Flamel City, with nobody to guide him but his mother. As they travel, they do not realize that they are being watched. They are being followed.  
Only Andy, with his sharp ears and eyes, notices the dark figure lurking through the trees some distance away.  
"The embryo," the man whispers to himself. Wrapped around his neck, a large red-and-black tentacle curls in the cold. But he smiles to himself. His target can't be far away.  
"Mom?" Andy asks, clutching his mother's leg. "I'm scared."  
"Don't worry," says Amelia. "It will be okay. Just keep close to me. I will protect you no matter what."  
But then, as the freezing wind blows particularly hard against his ears, Andy darts off to the cover of the trees. Amelia follows him, and then a short distance away, they come to a halt before a frozen lake, the shore covered in a foot of snow.  
And Andy has spotted something, in a little mess of tangled tree roots. It is a nest, covered in leaf litter to keep warm. The mother that bulit it has apparently perished in the cold, for there is no sign of her, just tracks and disturbed snow. But the thing contained in the nest is still warm enough to have survived.  
[Andy:] **"I did not know how it had got there. But the Pokemon Egg was just there. Just sitting there, under the base of the great oak tree - exactly upon the spot where the very Pokemon that hatched from it that night is sitting right now as we speak."**  
Carefully wrapping the egg in his scarf, Amelia tucks it into his jacket to keep it safe. A cold gust of wind hits Andy's face, and he clutches his mother's leg tightly. "Come now, Andy," she says. "We have to go home and take care of the egg."  
"But what about its mother?" asks Andy, with a look of concern.  
But just as Amelia opens her mouth to answer, the ice covering the nearby lake explodes. A huge red and black squid-like creature rises from the water, as well as several fierce-looking fanged fish.  
Out of the water, supported by two of the squid's tentacles, a man with a blood-red gown, decked out with a purple scarf and top hat and sporting a wooden cane, rises forth and steps onto the shore. "Well well," he says. "If it isn't my old friend. And I see you've been busy, too."  
"Who is that?" says Andy.  
"His name I know not," Amelia replies. "But from what I know, he is the man who killed your father - and nearly killed you as well."  
"Of course," says the man. "And I thought we'd forgotten that embryo. Alas, a pity - you and your son won't last very long out here in the coldest day of winter, I'm afraid. Tentorrage, it's time to give them a proper reception."  
"Run, Andrew," says Amelia, giving the bundle to her son. "RUN!"  
But the man has other recruits. "Go, my bretheren," he says to the vampire fishes. "Vampiru legions, find and eliminate the boy!"  
The Vampiru shriek and hiss in reply, and slither off down the river.  
[Andy:] **"Where I was going, I knew not. For all I knew, I was scared and alone, for the first time in my life. I did not know where my mom was, or what would become of her. But I knew she would return. She always did."**  
Andy runs for his life along the river, the little bundle clutched in his arms. But he is not alone. As he looks back, he can see the flash of a sinuous red body streaking under the ice towards him.  
A Dark Pulse streaks through the ice, just missing him. It carves a wide gash, ripping through the ice. Then the fishes leap out of the water, just missing him with their terrible fangs.  
Thinking fast, the little kid veers into the forest, hoping to lose them. He knows that if he returns to the river, they will attack again.  
But the only way to get back to the safety of civilization is across the river.  
Andy races towards the river, hoping to avoid the deadly fangs of the Vampiru shoal. To his relief, the river is still cold and icy. But he knows it won't be for long. And if the egg gets wet, there will be no chance of survival for whatever is contained inside.  
Stumbling and slipping on the ice, Andy barely avoids the Dark Pulses that the vampire fish fire at him. But just when he is about to hit the other shore, one of the Vampiru bursts out of the ice, its fangs piercing the flesh of his leg. He shrieks in pain, but the fish's grip is relentless. And the smell of blood has now drawn the other Vampiru towards him. For one long moment, terror and hoplessness flood his soul. He will be drowned, cleansed of flesh, left to die while Team Plasma covers the world with darkness...  
And then, out of nowwhere, there is a flash of light that sends the Vampiru fleeing. Amelia is there, pulling him out of the river, and by her side is a small bird-like Pokemon with a jet turbine on its back - the one that had used Flash Cannon. As the Vampiru flee, Amelia scoops up her injured son and heads for civilization once more.

That night, back at her house, Amelia tends to Andy's wound. "It will be okay, Andy," she says. "I'm here. I always am."  
The egg glows. Andy looks down upon it. "Mom?" he asks. "If an egg glows, is it a bad thing?"  
"No," his mother replies. "It means that it is about to hatch. Look! Look!" Andy does look, as the egg begins to crack. A glowing light can be seen inside it. It glows brighter and brighter, until...  
[Andy:] **"I did not understand hatching at first. But this I did know: the creature inside it would become the greatest friend I ever knew. My life was about to take a turn for the better. I had found my place in the world."**  
The baby Frimbella opens its eyes for the first time. The first thing it sees is Andy, but then, as it takes its first breath, it starts to cry. It looks frightened. Maybe that's because its mother is gone. Andy holds the little creature, perplexed, but Amelia simply smiles. And then she starts to sing.

[Amelia:] (singing) **Come stop your crying, it will be all right  
****Just take my hand, hold it tight  
I will protect you from all around you  
I will be here, don't you cry**

[Andy:] (Present day, singing) **For one so small, you seem so strong  
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm  
This bond between us can't be broken  
I will be here, don't you cry**

**You'll be in my heart  
You'll be in my heart  
From this day on, now and forevermore  
You'll be in my heart  
no matter what they say  
You'll be here in my heart  
Always**

"Always," sighs Amelia, as Andy and his new friend curl up in her lap, and go to sleep. And the rest of the night is spent in silence, but for the gentle crackling of the fire.  
*END FLASHBACK*

"Whoa," says Lapis. "That's a great story, but what's the point? Where's the advice you have for us?"  
"Advice?" asks Andy. "Oh, I have garnered advice. Lots of it. The best of course, the safety tip I learned that day, is to always know what you are doing."  
"Know what you're doing?" asks Ash.  
"Of course," says Andy, smiling. "How are you supposed to do anything without knowing how to do it? OK, guys, it's time to sleep."  
"Yeah," says Aang, cuddling his Dragorsy close as he yawns. "G'night, Andy."  
"Night," says Ash.  
"Good night, Andy," says Pi.  
"Yeah," says Brock. "Good night."  
Andy smiles as he watches them tucking into their sleeping bags. Noticing that his bowl of chili is now empty, he looks at Zach, who is holding the bowl in a position that is clearly asking for seconds, and smiles at him kindly. And so, before they go to sleep as well, Andy and his first true friend share the last of Brock's leftover chili as they gaze up into the beautiful starlight night sky.

The next morning, Andy and co. are walking through the forest again. "I know I'm saying this for the eighteenth time, but that was a great story," says Aang. "Come to think of it, I wonder how come everyone called you the weird kid of the family back then."  
"Hard to say," Andy replies, smiling enigmatically. "Who knows what you might become if your embryo gets soaked in Pokemon DNA."  
"Pika?" Pikachu looks into the forest, concerned.  
"What is it, Flash?" asks Zach.  
There is a little path branching from the road the kids are hiking upon. It leads deep into the forest. "There's a good smell from there," says Zach. "Let's check it out!"  
"Hey wait," says Andy. "You're the first friend I ever had!"  
Pikachu decides to follow too, and the kids chase after the two of them. "Hey, where are you going?" they shout. "Come back!"  
The two Pokemon finally arrive at what appears to be a little building. Two people and another Pokemon are waiting for them.  
"Well hello there," says the woman when Andy arrives. "Your Frimbella looks hungry. Perhaps you could be treated to a proper meal?"  
"The food we serve here is the best in the land!" says the man. "And we've got more than enough for you kids too!"  
"And we've also got lodging," says the Pokemon. "You'll be sleeping tonight in the most comfortable bed and bath that you can afford."  
"Just leave Frimbella and Pikachu with us," says the woman. "We'll do the rest!"  
But Andy scoops up Frimbella, pausing to think. "How do I put this politely?" he asks to himself. But he knows. Instead of politely giving Zach over to her, he walks up to her and shouts in her face - "NO WAY! NO WAY WILL YOU STEAL MY BEST FRIEND IN A MILLION MILLION YEARS! NEVER!"  
But before he can storm away angrily, WHOOSH! A net flies out of nowwhere, trapping Pikachu, Andy, and Zach all at the same time.  
"Thank you for your hospitality," says Jessie as Team Rocket fly away in their infamous hot air balloon. "Be sure to stop by again sometime," says Meowth.  
"So much for the whole 'i-found-my-purpose' thing," says James, as the balloon flies away. "Hey," says Meowth. "At least we don't have to worry about Pikachu givin' us the ol' electroshock therapy with Mr. Goggle Twerp around."  
At the bottom of the balloon, Andy, suspended in the net along with a very confused Zach and Pikachu, is not exactly in the best of moods.  
"Someone is going to pay for this," he says. Unsheathing the lethal claws on his right hand, he adds, with a grimace of cold fury and piercing ice-blue slit-pupil eyes, "_**BIG**_ time."

A long while after Andy's little skirmish with Team Rocket, he seems to have dozed off from the ride, and now, as he awakens, he finds himself encased in some sort of plastic sphere. "Great," says Andy. "As if my day isn't bad enough..."

Team Rocket just laughs at him. "Hush hush, little boy," says Jessie. "You're with us now."  
"And so are Pikachu and your little frilly friend," says James, holding up two smaller force-fields, one containing Pikachu and the other with Zach.  
"And we won't ever let you go, thanks to this boy," says Meowth, holding up a little remote. "Force fields are the new cages!"  
"You'd think people like you would resort to something less twerp-proof," says Andy. "As soon as I bust out of this place, I'm gonna wipe those smiles right off your faces."  
But the crooks simply laugh and walk away. "Yeah, like THAT's gonna happen," says Jessie.  
"Yeah," Andy snarls to himself. "Like THEY'D ever get a life."  
But Andy isn't as stupid as they are. Fortunately, he bought himself a watch - and a good one too. He checks the time on it, and then smiles to himself. It's noon. A golden opportunity is about to come.  
"Well, what do you know?" says Jessie, rummaging through her travel pack. "We only have one biscuit."  
"Why don't we split it up just like the old days?" asks James.  
"Seconded," says Meowth.  
"No you don't," says Jessie, snatching it away. "I'm the boss here, and I'm the one who's having this thing!"  
"Who says so?" asks Meowth angrily.  
"Does it really matter who says so?" Jessie snaps back.  
"We haven't had any decent food since like what, yesterday?" James yells at her.  
"So what's the big idea?" Jessie asks, angrily.  
"He's got a point, you know," says Andy from inside his forcefield. "You look like you haven't eaten at all since your days at school! Just split that thing and hope for the best."  
"Stay out of this, goggles twerp," Jessie shouts at him. "I'm getting the biscuit and that's that!"  
"Oh no you don't," says Meowth, extending his claws. And with that, Team Rocket launch themselves upon each other and start fighting over the biscuit.  
Well, wouldn't you know it? Andy thinks, smiling to himself. Maybe while those jerks are squabbling I'll be able to bust us out.  
But then the biscuit flies into the air, high above the team, and then with a rush of great black wings, a new Pokemon snatches it in mid-air, devouring it in one bite.  
"Oi! You!" Meowth shouts at it. "That was our biscuit!"  
"Yeah, you heard us!" Jessie joins in. "Spit that thing out right now or you'll be sorry!"  
The Pokemon merely lands on a nearby tree branch, brushing crumbs from its black hooked beak. Now the people can see it more clearly. Its body is covered in shabby black-and-white feathers, with a dirty white ruff around its collar. Its neck and head are naked and bare, without those dirty feathers, instead having some wort of white crust, like bones. The only spots of color are the pupils of its eyes, which stare down menacingly upon our villains.  
For Team Rocket, it is an outrage. For Andy, it is a golden opportunity.  
A Vulrrion! he thinks. That works even better - hey, wait a minute! How come I can see him even though he's outside? Wait... these things are transparent!  
"You will PAY for that, mister!" Jessie screams, taking out a Pokeball. "Go, Seviper!"  
The Fang Snake Pokemon bursts out of his Pokeball with a flash of white light, catching Andy's attention. If the force fields are transparent, he thinks rapidly, and the Pokeball teleports a Pokemon out with a flash of light, then - A sudden thought occurs to him. He reaches in his pocket and takes out a Pokeball. That's it! If I pull this off right, I'll be out of here in no time. And while I'm at it, maybe I'll take ol' Robert here out to the nearest fast food stop for a soda.  
"Seviper, use Poison tail!" screams Jessie, and the Fang Snake Pokemon whips his huge red tail blade around, slashing viciously at the Scavenger Pokemon. Vulrrion jumps off the branch and takes to the sky, and the blade slashes through the branch where it was standing on moments before.  
"S-s-s-sevi-per!" The great black serpent tries to keep up with Vulrrion's movements, but it is just too fast. It loops through the air, flies straight up and sideways and backward, drops like a brick, and several times, it seems to move so fast that it vanishes from one spot, and then reappears at another - and all the while taunting Seviper's futile Poison Tail attacks, which miss it every time.  
"What the hell?" asks Jessie, furious.  
"Uh, VULRRION," says James as he reads his Pokedex cards. "'the Scavenger Pokemon. This Pokemon feeds on the decaying corpses of other Pokemon, so seeing one may mean finding a corpse nearby. They flockaround places where corpses can be found in abundance, like cementeries and battlefields. If VULRRION is threatened, it will spit a very corrosive acid to defend itself.'"  
"And it's using Agility!" exclaims Meowth. "Amazing!"  
Just then, the bird reappears right in front of Seviper's face, its claws glowing pink, and slashes it - hard - in the center of its face. Seviper screeches in pain, even though its head is armor-plated by its scales. "That was Psycho Cut!" shouts James. "This guy must be very high-level!"  
"All right, now you're gonna get it!" screams Jessie. "Seviper, use Poison Tail again!"  
But this second attempt ends in failure too. The second time Seviper tries to strike Vulrrion, it gets the same reaction: an Agility so dazzling that this time Seviper becomes dazed with confusion. And then the Psycho Cut again - and the poor Fang Snake Pokemon collapses, unconscious, to the ground.  
"Seviper!" Jessie wails. "Why I oughta - OK James, it's YOUR turn!"  
"But the only Pokemon I have is Mimey!" he cries out, but Jessie glares at him menacingly. "Well, here goes nothing," he says. And with that, he takes out his Pokeball and summons Mime Jr.  
"Vulllll-rrrionnnnn!" The Vulrrion immediately attacks. Swooping down, he snatches up Mime Jr. with his talons, gripping him tight. "Mimey!" James screeches! "Mimey, no!" But too late - the Vulture Pokemon drops Mime Jr. like a stone, leaving him to crash-land upon the ground.  
The bird makes a second turn, and this time it slashes at Mimey. with its Psycho Cut. Mimey wails in pain again and again, as Psycho Cut strikes once, twice, three times - and the Vulrrion is still ready for more fun at his enemy's expense.  
"MIMEY!" James screams, tears in his eyes. "I CAN'T LOSE YOU! FIGHT FOR ME! PLEASE!"  
Vulrrion swoops in for the final blow. But just then, Mime Jr. starts glowing pink, and then out of nowhere a barrier of psychic energy appears, taking the Flying/Dark type by surprise. It slams hard into the barrier, and collapses to the ground reeling in pain.  
"Is it just me or did Mime Jr. just learn Barrier?" asks Jessie.  
"Mimey, you actually did it!" James exclaims with joy. "All right, use Tickle!"  
"Mime mime!" the little Mime Pokemon replies. Vulrrion scrabbles to its feet and tries to fly away, but Mime Jr. shoots forth beams of blue light, entangling it. All it can do now is writhe and screech as these beams drain it of its strength.  
"Now Mimey, use Teeter Dance!" James yells, and Mime Jr. does its wobbly dance. Vulrrion, exhausted and confused, can only stumble around helplessly.  
"Now's your chance, emptyhead," Jessie encourages him. "Do it!"  
"Right," says James as he takes out a Pokeball. "Go Pokeball!"  
And with that, the Pokeball engulfs the now completely stupefied Vulture Pokemon in a white light, sucking it in, and moments later hits the ground, releasing some sparks to complete the effect.  
James picks it up, teary-eyed. "Can you believe it, Mimey?" he weeps with sentimental joy. "You beat a Vulrrion! All by yourself! And now it's totally mine! MINE! YAAAYYYYYYY!" He thrusts the Pokeball in the air triumphantly. "Mime, mime mime!" Mime Jr. adds as it jumps in the air happily.  
Just then, there is a sound of clapping behind them. Team Rocket whips round to see, to their surprise, a certain teenager applauding behind them, accompanied by a blue lizard, a yellow mouse creature, and an enormous blue-and-white bird with huge talons and a deadly-looking beak.  
"Well, congratulations," says Andy, a wide smile plastered across his face. "I'm glad to see that your little friend has gone so far over the years - " he reaches in his pocket and then holds up the remote control in his right hand. "But all in vain - you should have disposed of me earlier when you still had the chance."  
As Andy grins at the blue Sea Hawk, his claws extend from the fingers of his right hand, and just like that the remote falls to pieces as he slyly says, "Let 'em have it, Robert." The Pokemon theives exclaim in surprise and horror, but the next moment the large bird releases a powerful jet of water from its beak, sending all of them flying back into a tree.  
Spluttering and stumbling, Team Rocket rises to their feet to find that Andy, Zach, Pikachu, and the sea bird have gone. Just gone.  
"WHY YOU DIRTY LITTLE - " Jessie starts, but James blocks her. "Jessie, cool it. I know perfectly well how to handle the situation. Go, Vulrrion!"  
Vulrrion bursts out of his Pokeball with a flash of white light, and lands on his arm, squawking.  
"So, you think you'll get away so easy, goggle twerp?" James snarls to himself, his insides burning.

Not long after his escape from Team Rocket, Andy is taking Zach and Pikachu for a walk through the forest, where the trees would provide better cover. "Man," he muses to himself. "How many people are there who would shudder at being abducted by Pokemon thieves, rescuing a couple of stolen Pokemon, and seeking refuge in the darkest corners of the forest for safety?"  
"Pikachu chu pika," says Pikachu in agreement, as Zach translates into, "'One man's thrill ride may be the another's worst nightmare.'"  
"Viva la Aesop," says Andy, winking.  
"You'd think they'd be more competent, with those force fields being transparent enough to let slip a transporter beam from a Pokeball," says Zach, grinning.  
"I know, Zach," says Andy. "But being me has its prices as well as its privileges."

"Andy!"  
"Andy! Where ARE you?"  
While Andy is apparently traveling alone through the woods, the rest of the gang are out looking for him. "You know," says Ash to Aang, "I noticed that you and Andy don't really have as much ambition as I do when it comes to being a Pokemon Master."  
"No dependents, no responsibilities," Aang replies. "Just me and the Pokemon. I'm a protector of nature, just like Andy is - er, was. Best life a single Airbender can have."  
"You hear that," says Ash to Brock. "That's my kind of lifestyle."  
"Golly, Andy's gotta be hanging around SOMEwhere," says Brock. "I wonder if we could use anything air-worthy to scout for him?"  
"There's too many trees," says Ash. "I don't think Fhuriegle would be able to spot Andy no matter how hard he tries."  
"True," says Aang, clutching his Airbending staff. "But why should that mean that there isn't someone who can?"  
Ash looks at him, puzzled, but the Avatar smirks confidently. "Volarimp," he cries as he pushes a button on his staff and whirls it around to loose a Pokeball. "Come forth and lend me your service!"  
The Winged Monkey Pokemon appears with yet another flash of white light. With a happy chirrup, he lands on Aang's arm, eager to do some exploring.  
"I know you're so eager to look for our wing - er, fighter-pilot friend," says Pi, "but why use Volarimp? Wouldn't Fhuriegle be easier?"  
"I know," says Aang, "but not with all the trees getting in the way. Volarimp here is better suited to forest life than most bird Pokemon are."  
As Ash, Pi, and Brock watch, even more confused, Aang starts "talking" to Volarimp with a strange language of chirrups, tweets, and trills. Volarimp replies in its own language, causing Aang to chuckle a bit, and then, with something that sounds like "Good luck!" from Aang, he flies off into the tree branches.  
"What was that all about?" asks Ash.  
"I told him to find a teenage boy with a blue leather jacket and scarf, accompanied by a blue lizard and a yellow mouse creature," says Aang.  
"Zach and Pikachu," says Ash to himself.  
"Where did you learn how to speak Pokemon?" asks Brock.  
"From the Air Nomad monks," says Aang. "I used to have fun imitating the sounds of Pokemon back when I was still just an ordinary Airbender, around 100 years ago."  
Ash looks at Brock, now more confused than ever before. But as they head off after Volarimp, Brock pats him on the shoulder as he says, with a sad smile and a low voice, "That's you in four days. Completely nuts."

Meanwhile, Andy and his posse are walking along a little road path, when Zach suddenly steps in something. It is cold, wet, and fluid-like. When he looks down, he discovers that he has stepped in a puddle. It happens almost instantly - with a very un-boyish scream, he shoots like a cannonbolt at Andy's head, grabbing onto his hair and holding it so tightly, it hurts.  
"Zach!" Andy snaps at him. "What was that for?"  
But Zach points down. There, Andy spots the puddle. "Well, there's a bit of a setback," he says to himself.  
Pikachu looks up at him, puzzled, and then they all look ahead of them. There, standing before them, the path dips into a wide pond, its waters still and smooth as glass. Lilypads dot the water here and there, and once or twice, there appears a Yanma or two hovering over the water.  
"Great," says Zach. "This is one of the times when I wish I wasn't a Ground-type."  
When Pikachu tries to ask, Frimbella glares at him, clearly upset. "Zach can't swim," Andy explains. "Ground-types like Frimbella are weak to Water-type moves and don't like getting wet. He has to ride on my head to avoid drowning."  
"Pika pika?" says Pikachu.  
"I don't know about you," says Zach, "but I think Pikachu wants you to carry him across the water too."  
"There's a rock path through the pond," says Andy. "But I'm not sure if it'll get us all the way across the water."  
"One way to find out," says Zach. So Andy, with a last reluctant look at his friend, sits Pikachu on his right shoulder and begins the long, hazardous crossing.

"What's with that goggle twerp?" Jessie snaps angrily as they follow Vulrrion above the woods in their infamous Meowth balloon. "One moment of carelessness and - bang! - off he goes with Pikachu and Frimbella!"  
"And as if that's not enough, this is a really big forest," says Meowth. "He could be anywhere!"  
But just then, Vulrrion screeches and stops flying erraticly. Instead, it heads straight towards the wide pond to their north.  
"There's goggle twerp," says James, checking out the spot through his binoculars.  
"And there's Pikachu, right on cue," says Meowth. "Time to bust this party hole."

As Andy crosses the stepping stone path, he hears that familiar sound. The sound of a hot-air balloon coming in for a landing. Team Rocket can't be far away.  
But when Andy tries to cross the next stone, he realizes that there is no stone. For one second, Andy teeters precariously upon his stone, almost falling into the water. But he regains his balance, panting. "Oh dear," says Andy. "This will not look good on my best attire."  
"What choice do we have?" Zach lashes out at him. "All you need to do is take your shoes off and swim us across this pothole!"  
"Man, I hate it when you're right!" Andy groans as he takes off his shoes and socks and stuffs them in his backpack. "In that case, I'll do what I have to." And with that, he slides his legs into the water. The pond is, surprisingly, not as deep as he thought, only reaching up to his knees. But it is still deep enough to drown a careless lizard. "Now all I have to do is watch out for the Carvahna. OWCH!" Andy has to stop to shake off a curious Krabby that has seized his toe in one of its pincers. "Or the Krabby, for that matter," adds Zach snidely.  
Just then, there is a blast of purple and spray as the water just five feet away from him explodes. Lotad and Magikarp scatter in panic as Vulrrion comes swooping down upon Andy, loading another Dark Pulse.  
"Move!" screams Andy, as Vulrrion lets it rip, just missing Andy's shoulder and striking the water in front of him. There is another explosion of foam that this time soaks Andy's jacket. "Cripes," he snarls. "That was my best jacket!"  
But then, with a screech and a flash of talons, Vulrrion snatches Zach off of his head. "ZACH!" Andy screams. "NO!"  
But Vulrrion swoops in for its next attack. "All right," shouts Andy as he turns to face Vulrrion. "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you get! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"  
"Pika... CHUUUUUUU!" Once, twice, Vulrrion dodges the Thunderbolts. But on the third try, it swerves in the wrong direction, and is rewarded with 10,000 volts to the face! "Go figure," Andy smiles to himself.  
But as the Vulture Pokemon flies away, Andy can now see the balloon. "Oh no," he says to himself. "They're here."

"What is that mysterious sound?" (Jessie)  
"It's the promise of riches unbound!" (James)  
"It's Bigger!" (Jessie)  
"It's Badder!" (James)  
"And trust us, it's WAY Better!" (Meowth)  
"Consummate skill is our greatest specialty!" (Jessie)  
"Our firepower's the best in the galaxy!" (James)  
"Jessie!" (Jessie)  
"James!" (James)  
"And Meowth, that's my name!" (Meowth)  
"Team Rocket, the ultimate weapon, flying straight and true!" (Jessie)  
"And our latest target..." (James)  
"IS GONNA BE YOU!" (all)  
"WAAAAAAA-Buffet!" (Wobbuffet)  
"Mime mime!" (Mime Jr.)

"All of a sudden," Andy grimaces to himself, "a pair of wet feet sounds far more comforting."  
"Well your feet are going to be nice and cozy with us," says Jessie, winking at him. "Just join us, and we'll have lots of adventures together!"  
Andy snarks derisively. "Do not think," he says, "that just because you don't know me is a sign that I'm not a foe. I live to kick the butts of bad guys. Like you."  
"Today," says James, "it's YOUR butt that's going to be kicked. Vulrrion, use Night Slash!"  
"Not so fast!"  
Ash and the others have arrived. Apparently, they have spotted the Thunderbolt that Pikachu made. Almost immediately, Aang takes out his Pokedex and scans Vulrrion.  
"VULLRION," says the Pokedex. "The Scavenger Pokemon. This Pokemon feeds on the decaying corpses of other Pokemon, so seeing one may mean finding a corpse nearby. They flockaround places where corpses can be found in abundance, like cementeries and battlefields. If VULRRION is threatened, it will spit a very corrosive acid to defend itself."  
"Fhuriegle, use Steel Wing!" screams Ash. At once, the Steel Eagle's wings glow white as it prepares for the attack.  
"No you don't," says James. "Vulrrion, use Night Slash!"  
WHOOSH! The attacks collide full force, causing a massive explosion. At the moment of contact, Vulrrion accidentally drops Frimbella, and now he falls screaming towards the water.  
"ZACH!" Andy screams in horror as he watches Zach plummet to his doom. "No... **NOOOOOOOOOOO!**" And then, it happens, almost in slow motion. Andy leaps twelve feet in to the air, attempting to catch Zach, but Vulrrion swoops in to slam him in the face. But just before it makes contact, the unthinkable happens in seeming slow motion. Andy shuts his eyes tight, sailing through the air like a flying cannonball, and then... **WHOOOOOOOOOSH!**  
An enormous pair of leathery wings, shining light blue with a purple underside, attached to a second pair of arms tipped with enormous clawed talons, explodes out of Andy's back and shoulders. One flap carries him into the sky, just missing Vulrrion who crashes into the water below, but takes off again, only to come face-to-face with the most amazing and bizzare sight he has ever seen.  
Zach squeezes his eyes tight, anticipating the cold wetness, his inevitable demise, but then he feels Andy's hands clutching him tight. He opens them, and sees Andy in full flight, wings beating like sails in turbulent wind.  
"What... the HELL?" Jessie screams furiously.  
But Andy glares at the team, a piercing, blazing anger burning in his eyes. "This," he snarls, more to the general crowd rather than anyone in particular, "is why they called me the 'weird kid of the family.'"  
"Of all the twerps we've ever run into," scowls Meowth, "this is probably the first and only one with wings!"  
"I think I've lived," says James faintly.  
"It had to be done," says Pi, watching the scene from the ground far below. "Someday, somehow, it had to be done."  
"Man, when you said that I'd believe you when teenagers fly," Ash calls up to Andy, "you were definitely NOT kidding!"  
"Of course I wasn't!" Andy calls back, his wings beating in the wind. "'Cuz I'm a winged sixteen-year-old twerp with an attitude!"  
"And in another minute you'll be losing it," says Jessie. "Seviper, Poison Tail!"  
"Oh no you don't," says Andy. Just as Seviper's teleporting beam bursts out of the Pokeball, Andy whips out his watch and deflects it. Instead of heading in Andy's direction, the Fang Snake Pokemon misses him completely and falls straight down into the water.  
Andy meanwhile holds Frimbella tight as his wings keep him airborne. "Ash, catch!" he shouts, tossing Frimbella down towards the Pokemon Trainer. Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash catches the Gliding Pokemon as he floats to the safety of the shore.  
"Why I oughta - " Jessie fumes, but Andy gets there first. "Not so fast," he says as he snaps on his pilot's goggles and takes out a Pokeball. "Flight Unit 279 Atrimawk, you are free for takeoff!"  
And with that, he flings his Pokeball straight up, and the big blue-white seabird pops out again.  
"What IS that Pokemon?" asks Pi, looking it up on her Pokedex.  
"_ATRIMAWK_," says the Pokedex. "_The Sea Breeze Pokemon. ATRIMAWK can soar over open ocean for up to a month without stopping. In addition to their great endurance they have amazing strength. ATRIMAWK hunt by swooping down and snatching whatever they see from the water; one was even seen carrying a full-grown SHARPEDO for several miles._"  
"That's an impressive Pokemon," says Ash. "But how did he deflect Seviper's Poison Tail?"  
"Of course!" Brock realizes. "The Pokeball is a device that teleports the said Pokemon to a storage environment whenever it is caught or recalled. So when Andy deflected that white flash with his watch, he was altering the direction of the transporter beam, which is how he was able to avoid Seviper's attack."  
"You ingrate!" Jessie screams. "Seviper, Poison Sting!"  
But Andy merely flies out of the way as the venemous darts streak harmlessly into the air. Positioning himself at a safe distance, he prepares for the first-ever aerial Pokemon battle.  
"If it's a battle you want," Jessie snarls, "then it's a battle you get. Seviper, use Poison Fang!"  
"All right, Atrimawk," Andy orders into his little communicator. "Use Water Gun into Seviper's mouth when he reaches altitude of 30 ft! Over!"  
The Fang Snake Pokemon indeed leaps 30 feet into the air, his mouth open wide and his fangs glowing pink, but Atrimawk, his wings flapping, merely grins, and then unleashes a Water Gun that goes down Seviper's throat, inflating him like a water balloon.  
"Now, Sky Attack!" Andy orders. "Over and out!"  
The Sea Breeze Pokemon glows blue-white as it dives toward the swollen Seviper. WHAM goes Atrimawk, and down goes Seviper, the impact forcing the water from him and spraying Jessie full in the face. Seviper, meanwhile, hits the water with a splash, sending water and silt everywhere.  
"Don't just STAND there," screams Jessie. "Poison Tail!"  
At this order, Seviper leaps out of the water again, his tail glowing purple, and this time hits Atrimawk, causing him to reel in pain. "Don't give up, 279," says Andy. "Keep it coming with Water Gun!"  
Seviper rears up, but then gets hit in the face by another Water Gun.  
"You useless lump!" screams Jessie. "POISON TAIL ONCE MORE!"  
But once again, Andy gets there first. "Not if I can help it. DESCEND WITH STEEL WING! Over!"  
Atrimawk's wings glow white, and then with the force of a falling missile, it slams Seviper in the face. And with that, he crashes back into the water, bleeding and unconscious.  
"Seviper! No!" Jessie exclaims in horror. "NOW what?"  
"My turn," says James. "Vulrrion, use Night Slash!"  
But as the Vulture Pokemon spreads its wings for the attack, Atrimawk floats slowly earthwards, tuckered out and apathetic. "You did great, Robert," says Andy as he recalls the Sea Breeze Pokemon with a red flash. "Over and out."  
"Now it's our turn," says Pi as she watches Vulrrion swoop towards her and Ash, its wings glowing purple. "Hiponea, use Water Gun!"  
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" screams Ash.  
As Hiponea's Water Gun streaks towards Team Rocket, Pikachu's T-bolt encircles it and maximizes its power. The Pokemon thieves scream in pain as the lightning-laced water jet slams full force into them, and the balloon explodes with a ball of fire and thick black smoke, sending them flying - Jessie, James, Meowth, Seviper, Vulrrion and all.

"Ingrateful little goggle twerp," says Jessie. "And now no one's gonna believe us!"  
"Perhaps THEY haven't lived yet," says James.  
"You'd think," says Meowth, "that we'd have a way to explain the whole 'Winged Twerp' crud to the Boss."  
"Waaaaaaaa-buffet!" cries Wobbuffet, its blurb being translated as "I don't know if you'll agree, but I personally think that nickname's WAY catchier.". And with that, they fly off into the distance, screaming their usual "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

With a beating of powerful wings, Andy lands upon the lake shore in front of his friends. For one brief moment, he can spot a flash of disbelief upon Ash's face, but he smiles reassuringly. "Told you," he says as he furls his wings back under his pilot's jacket.  
"For the 'weird kid of the family,'" says Aang, "your weirdness sure comes in handy."  
"I know," says Andy. "It's nice to know there's someone out there who won't treat me like a winged douchebag."  
"Or a winged douchebag with a blue talking zit, for that matter," says Zach, leaping upon Andy's head again.  
"For a zit, you talk too much," Andy jokes as he scratches the Gliding Pokemon around the frill again.

Later that evening, Andy has finally put his shoes back on and dried himself. "You know," he says as he grooms his wings with Brock's hairbrush, "I would have expected a far less favorable reaction from someone who's seen me flying for the first time in their life."  
"Andy," says Ash as he polishes Mach's armor. "Just because you think you're weird doesn't mean you are. With us, anything's possible."  
"Really?" he asks, now grooming Zach who is sitting in his lap. "Well if you say so, then I guess... maybe I'm not that different?"  
"Don't be upset about your not being able to fit in," says Lapis. "I've been through many amazing things too. Everyone has that sort of thing."  
"If you think your story is strange enough," says Aang as he tucks Appa and Volarimp under their sleeping covers, "just wait 'til you hear about my story."  
"When will you tell us?" asks Andy. "There's bound to be time for another campfire story."  
"When I finish it," says Aang, winking. And everyone laughs at this.

[Andy:] _"Being different doesn't guarantee the best place in life, but everyone has a place. And everyone has a purpose towards the common good. But most importantly, there will always be someone who is willing to share our sympathy, no matter who, or what, we are. In these troubled times, the best thing that you can rely on is a friend to back you up. And that is because just one person who understands you, when everyone else refuses to, can make all the difference in the world."_

As the team bed down for the night, they are unaware that a certain little dolphin is keeping an eye on them. With a smile on its face, the Smart Pokemon dissappears beneath the surface of the river, promising to itself that it will return...

**To be continued...**

******************************************  
**As always, read and review! Chapter 4 is gonna be up probably by this week, if I ever find the time.

Pokemon (c) Nintendo Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) Nickolodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko Professor Parcel, all fakemon (c) Darksilvania

-SS


	4. Chapter 4: Mostly Ghostly

**[Andy:]** Hello! SkarmorySilver here, and after a long wait, it's time for my latest Iron/Copper episode, "Mostly Ghostly!"  
**[Danny:]** And this is Danny Fenton. I've been waiting for a long while to debut here, so I thought I'd comment on this episode alongside Andy.  
**[Andy:]** Well, it's only the first part, and I'm posting this after midnight, but I can live with that. Basically, Ash and co. have stumbled across a family who specializes in Ghost-types.  
**[Danny:]** That's us! Of course, as you will see, we're gonna be in a little pickle, 'cuz it looks like my old nemesis will ALSO be showing up, and we didn't even send him invitations. The jerk!  
**[Andy:]** Sorry this chapter was a bit later than usual. But whatever the case, please don't forget to post reviews on this fanfiction whenever possible.  
**[Danny:]** Please do! But enough about that, let's get this episode started...

As always: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAKEMON FEATURED IN THIS FANFICTION. All Powermon belong to Juan Pablo, aka Darksilvania, whose deviantART account can be found here:

darksilvania . deviantart . com (remove spaces)

****************************************  
**Iron and Copper Episode 4: Mostly Ghostly**

It's full moon night at the graveyard near Amity Town. Ash and co. have set up camp at the edge of the forest, as usual putting up safety precautions such as hanging their bags on ropes strung across the camp, and setting up Professor Parcel's patented infared alarm system. The gang are going about their usual duties... all except Ash. He has busily trained Pikachu and Fhuriegle all day, and now he feels completely exhausted.  
"Man, I wonder how long it will be before we finally reserve a spot at a four-star hotel," he says.  
"Don't look at me," says Andy as he helps Aang and Lapis pitch the tent. "I'm broke. Milked. Peniless. Absolutely, filthy, stinking broke."  
"Either that, or you're not sympathizing," says Ash, with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder as usual.  
"Well, what do you think? You may be right. I still have a LITTLE money. But that doesn't mean I can pay for anything."  
"And your point?" snarls Pi as she hammers in a tent peg.  
"Nothing," says Andy. "I don't mean 'Never mind,' just that I can't help you. Same thing basically."  
"Whatever," says Ash. "If only I had something to do."  
"Ghowl."  
A soft hooting from nearby answers his complaint. Everyone looks around, and they soon notice a pearly white glow from the forest. With a gentle beating of white wings, a small owl, with soft feathery pure white down, and large black eyes on its heart-shaped face that frame its tiny yellow pupils.  
"Oh hey there, little buddy," says Aang. "You sleeping here for the night?"  
"This is new," says Lapis.  
"What is it guys?" asks Brock, looking up from setting up the fire. "Another Pokemon?"  
"I think so," says Ash, taking out his Pokedex and scanning the little Pokemon. "_GHOWL_," says the Pokedex. "_The White Owl Pokemon. GHOWL sleeps during the daytime, but is more active at night. Its white body reflects the moonlight, making it seem to glow against the darkness of the night sky._"  
"Ghowl's a Ghost-type," says Brock. "Maybe you should catch it."  
"I think that's a good idea," says Ash. "Pikachu, let's go!"  
The yellow Mouse Pokemon promptly leaps forth, assuming its battle stance. "Start this off with Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" says Ash. Pikachu's cheeks sparkle with electricity as it builds up its attack. "Pikaaaaa... CHUUUUUUUUUUU!" The bolt of electricity hits its mark. Ghowl is struck right between its large black-and-yellow eyes, and tumbles to the ground, momentarily dazed.  
"Uh, not to be offensive," says Lapis, "but isn't it a stupid idea to mess with a poor defenseless Pokemon when there's a distinct possibility that there's someone around to protect it?"  
"Who cares?" Ash scoffs at this. "Pokeball, GO!"  
But when the Pokeball strikes the White Owl Pokemon, something bizzare happens. Instead of sucking it in with a flash of red light, it is deflected with a white flash straight back into Ash's face.  
"And I bet it belongs to someone else too," adds Pi.  
As if her words were some sort of signal, a scream, almost like a woman's, pierces the night, causing Andy, Ash, Aang, and Lapis, to yelp and huddle each other.  
The night isn't so shiny anymore. Everyone slowly turns towards the moon, to see a huge cloud blocking out its light.  
Only it isn't a cloud. As it comes closer with excruciating, determined sluggishness, it reveals itself to be a second pure white owl. But this owl has a body twice as big as a man's, and a wingspan the size of a small airplane.  
The gargantuan ghost bird screeches, a terrible wailing scream that pierces the misty night air. "HOWWWWWWWLLLLLL!"  
"Now you did it, Ash," groans Andy, slapping his forehead.  
"HOWWWWWWWLLLLLL!" And without warning, the bird dives.  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Everyone screams as it speeds towards them like a snowy torpedo, its claws and beak poised to kill...

**Ep 4: Mostly Ghostly**

_(He's a Phantom)_  
_(Danny Phantom, Danny Phantom)_

_Yo Danny Fenton, he was just fourteen When his parents built a very strange machine Designed to view a world unseen (He's gonna catch 'em all cuz he's Danny Phantom)_

_When it didn't quite work, his folks, they just quit But then Danny took a look inside of it There was a great big flash, everything just changed His molecules got all rearranged!_  
_(Phantom, Phantom)_

_When he first woke up he realized He had snow white hair and glowy green eyes He could walk through walls, disappear, and fly!_  
_He was much more unique than the other guy!_

_It was then that he knew what he had to do He had to stop all the ghosts that were coming through He's here to fight for me and YOU!_

_(Gonna catch 'em all cuz he's Danny Phantom)_  
_(Gonna catch 'em all cuz he's Danny Phantom)_  
_Gonna catch them all cuz he's..._  
**_Danny Phantom_**

"Hey Dad! I'm home!"  
The fourteen-year-old black-haired teenager has just appeared in the doorway of Fenton Works, late as usual. Dressed in his usual attire - a white tee with a red oval at the center, enveloped by a purple-and-pink jacket, and purple jeans with flaring bottoms - he appears to have had a very rough day. His purple-pink cap is a bit askew, and his matching tennis shoes ache from walking two miles from school (sort of).  
"Late again, Danny?" says Jack Fenton as he appears before his son, a portly man with an orange jumpsuit, black gloves, and a lifelong dedication to researching Ghost Pokemon. "This had better be good."  
"Oh, not much," says Danny. "Just the usual stuff with a disgruntled lab assistant and an angry Giratina."  
"That's my son," says Jack, smiling a bit. "The newest member of our team."  
"I wish," says Danny sarcastically as he closes the door behind him.

[Danny:] _"That's me. Danny Fenton. Full-time Pokemon Academy student and professional Ghost-powered superhero extroardinare. Now I know so many of you have a good idea of who I am, but the fact is, being me isn't exactly that fun, as far as responsibility is concerned."_

The Fentons' house is, typical for a Ghost-type researcher, filled to the brim with all sorts of Ghost-hunting equipment. Scanners, display panels, radar systems, and weapons galore line the walls and ceiling, and Jack is, as usual, wearing his technology-enhanced Ghostbusters' gloves. Danny, of course, wanted nothing to do with any of this in his youth - until one day, around six months ago, when an accident in his dad's Ghost Zone portal changed his life forever.  
"You'd think I'd have an easier life," he says glumly. "Managing my grades was hard enough work already."  
"Oh, but the world needs protecting," says Jack. "That's why we need people like you."  
"I know, Dad. I know."

[Danny:] _"Another day, another battle. I thought my life was going to be a bit dull, maybe even depressing, but that wasn't the way it would be - forutnately, from my standpoint."_

A while later, Danny has just entered the living room where his mother, Maddie, and his sister, Jazz, are waiting, with Jack in tow. "There you are, Danny!" says Maddie. "How's duties at the Academy?"  
"Same ol', same ol'," says Danny.  
"I'm hardly surprised," says Jazz with an apologetic smile as she pours over her school notebooks. "Seeing that you're busy fending off ghosts and Pokemon hunters 8 hours a day."  
"Does it really look like 8 hours?" Danny snaps at her.  
"Face it, Danny," says Jack, ruffling his son's hair. "Being a kid superhero gives you a huge boost in morale, true, but it's not that all cracked up as it used to be. I learned that the hard way and I know you might too."  
"But I - OOOOF!" Before Danny can continue, he is suddenly glomp-attacked by something lightning fast and blue, sending him crashing to the floor.  
Danny gets back up for a moment, as though nothing happened, but then he notices the two-foot-long blue lizard with an umbrella-like neck frill clamped onto his face. "AAAAAH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" he screams as he flails about trying to pry it loose, but then it starts to talk prompting him to stop in his tracks.  
"Danny! It's me! Zach!"  
"Oh," says Danny as he dislodges Andy's talking Frimbella off his head. "My mistake, but - how did you get in the kitchen?"  
"You forgot to lock the door, dweeb."  
"That's Ben's nickname, not mine."  
"Touche. But enough about that, what was I talking about? Oh, yes - AAAH!" he screams, flaring his now bright-yellow neck fril as wide as possible to emphasize his point, "DANNY, COME QUICKLY! IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"  
"An emergency? But my Ghost Breath isn't - "  
"No, not ghosts! My friends are being attacked by some giant white Bird Pokemon!"  
"A white bird Pokemon? There's not - Oh no!"  
"Danny?" asks Jazz. "What's going on?"  
"Can you set up dinner for me? I'll be back in half an hour!"  
"Uh, Danny?" asks Jack as Danny rushes for the door. "Don't forget to be back by then!"  
"Screw your stupid curfew!" Danny shouts back as he races out the door. "If there's people in trouble, I have to do whatever I can to save them!" And with that, he slams the door and is out of sight.  
"Oh," says Jack. "Can you at least TRY to be back in half an hour?"

Outside, Danny is running as fast as he can, tearing through the streets of Amity Town.

[Danny:] _"I did not know where I was going, or what I was facing. But whatever it was, I knew it was bad. What I didn't know, however, was that my life was about to take another dramatic turn. This time, for real."_

Five minutes later, Danny has arrived at the town Graveyard. It's a spooky place, full of gravestones and fog and the like, but hey - at least it isn't a total mess... yet.  
But something is still wrong. Someone is lying there, alive but in bad shape. Zach, terrified, rushes over to his friend, but he isn't dead - just hurt very, very badly. And those claw marks all over him seem to be too big to have been made by a Pigeot...  
"Andy!" Danny gasps at the sight of his good friend slumped, maimed, upon the ground. "What happened to - "  
But his query is cut short when something huge lands behind him. He turns round, and sees the enraged owl looming above him. Danny screams, but it's too late, and next moment, the poor guy is pelted by wings, slashed by claws, pecked by a dagger-like beak, and blasted with Shadow Balls galore.  
A mere few seconds of carnage later, he too falls to the ground, his eyes all spiral-ish like a fainted Pokemon.  
"That," Andy groans pointedly.  
"Why does this always have to happen to me?" Danny moans in pain. "Goin' Ghost!"  
At once, two rings of light appear around him, circling his midriff, and as they separate and ascend/descend, he seems to transform from an innocent, slightly klutzy teenager to a completely different kind of person. Now Danny is clothed in his famous black-and-white outfit, with silvery-white hair, glowing green eyes, and some sort of "cape" made out of black-and-white tentacles - complete with an extra tentacle set for a "tail." "Let's get this party started," he says, as Tytowlade screeches and dives at him again.  
There is a rush of wings and a flash of ghostly talons, and Danny is sent tumbling to the ground again, but when he hits land he flings out a brilliant green Will-o-Wisp at the owl, which strikes its back and causes it to veer erratically. And now Danny takes out a Pokeball - but this one has a black color instead of red, and a green "D" on the central knob.  
"Misdreavus, let's Go Ghost!" shouts Danny as he flings the Pokeball. There is a flash of white light, and the Screech Pokemon, with long shabby hair and staring red eyes, bursts forth to confront her new foe.  
"All right, now we're talking!" says Danny as Tytowlade circles around to face him. "Misdreavus, let's start this with Shadow Ball!"  
Misdreavus doesn't need to hear him twice. There is a great whooshing noise as she releases a massive burst of ghostly energy, striking Tytowlade head-on. The giant white Bird Pokemon reels in pain as it stalls, slamming into a tombstone, destroying it - and sending Ash and the Avatar, who was hidden behind it, flying through the air and skidding to a halt at Danny's feet.  
"Aang?" asks Danny. "What are you doing here?"  
"Long story," says Aang. "But not the time now, I've got work to do. Dragorsy, lend - "  
But Danny shakes his head, and points to Misdreavus, who hovers just above the angry Tytowlade as she rises shakily to her feet again.  
"Whoa, who are those Pokemon?" says Ash, as they both take out his Pokedex. Aang's checks out Misdreavus. "_MISDREAVUS_," it says. "_The Screech Pokemon. MISDREAVUS feeds off fear, which it instills in its prey by pulling on their hair to shock them. Occasionally, it will also scare its foes with its piercing cry, which is said to cause intense pain._"  
Ash's Pokedex checks out Tytowlade. "_TYTOWLADE,_" it says. "_The Phantom Pokemon. This Pokemon makes its nest near graveyards, and only flies out to hunt at night. Its feathers are so white that they reflect the moonlight, making it look like a ghost in the darkness. They are also soft enough to allow it to fly whithout making any noise, which is how it recieved its nickname, 'The White Shadow.'_"  
"She's down but she's not out," Danny encourages his Misdreavus. "Missy, use Shadow Ball again!"  
Misdreavus promptly hurls another Shadow Ball at Tytowlade, but this time the latter slaps it away with her wings and takes flight. There is a great WHOOSH and a flash of talons as the Phantom Pokemon's Night Slash nails Misdreavus and sends her tumbling through the air.  
"Stay strong, Missy," says Danny. "Turn it up with Shockwave!"  
"Miss! Miss... DREAVUS!" The Screech Pokemon does indeed unleash a massive Shockwave of electricity, which of course surges through Tytowlade and sends her plummeting back towards the earth.  
"Now let's end this! Go, Pokeball!" At this, Danny takes out another black-and-white Pokeball and hurls it at Tytowlade. This time, however, instead of the usual red light a massive vortex of blue-white energy bursts out of the Pokeball, literally sucking Tytowlade in. The Phantom Pokemon screeches one last time, and then dissapears into the Pokeball, which falls to the ground, its central button flashing green for a few seconds, and then releases a few sparkles. Tytowlade has finally been captured!  
Danny picks up the Pokeball, smiling, and then raises it high in triumph. "All right!" he cries in pride. "Tytowlade is finally mine!" Misdreavus cries out its name in triumph too, and the young Ghowl from earlier also lands on Danny's shoulder and hoots its name too happily.  
"Spooky! You're okay!" says Danny, stroking the owl's head feathers.  
"Spooky?" exclaims Aang. "You don't mean - "  
"Yes," Danny replies, holding his Fenton Pokeball. "She's mine. I caught her in one of these two weeks ago."  
Just then, there is a movement behind another tombstone. Everyone looks round, anticipating another Pokemon to appear, but to their great relief, the other kids stick their heads out from behind said tombstone. "Is it gone now?" says Pi.  
"Yes it is," says Danny, shaking his Pokeball. "In here."  
"Oh, by the way, who are you?" asks Ash, confused but still relieved.  
"Whoops, I forgot that part. Hi, I'm Danny." At this he extends his hand, which Ash shakes a bit nervously. "My name's Ash, and this is Pikachu." "Pika Pikachu," adds Pikachu.  
"I'm Brock," says Brock. "I'd shake your hand if mine didn't phase through."  
"And I'm Lapis," says Pi. "Nice to meet you, Dan - Whoa!"  
Danny has just reverted into his normal form with a flash of white light. "Nice to meet you too, guys," he says. "Misdreavus, return!" And with that he recalls the Screech Pokemon once more.  
"Wait - You're a superpowered ghost-kid?" asks Ash.  
"That's me," replies Danny. "I'll explain later, when I have the time. Let's get you home."  
"I appreciate your kindness," says Brock as they head down the streets of Amity Town, "but I think our home was destroyed by that Tytowlade. We need a place to sleep for the night, but we can't really afford it."  
"Oh, that part. Well, before you find a place to bed down, why don't you stop by my pad first?" Then they see Danny's house, AKA Fenton Works. "Danny," says Andy, smiling. "I think you've solved our problem."

"Hey Dad! I'm home!"  
Danny reappears at the Fentons' front door, Spooky on his shoulder. "Wow, you're ten minutes early," says Jack. "I know it's already past ten, but still - "  
"Dad, can we host a sleepover party tonight?"  
Jack is taken aback by this. "Well, we would, but only when you're thirty and if whomever you're inviting are your wife and kids."  
"No, I'm serious," says Danny. "I already bought some friends over and they need a place to sleep. That rogue Tytowlade that has been around for the past two weeks? She totaled their camp. And now the need shelter. No, no, don't be mad - I finally caught her."  
"Oh. I see. Well, in that case I'll consider it. Whomever you're bringing, they can sleep in the guest room."  
"Dad, one more thing."  
"Yeah?"  
"How many people can you fit in the guest room?" At this, Danny pushes back the door to reveal Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Andy, Pi, and Aang.  
"WHOA!" exclaims Jack. "Well, I guess you and Jazz will have to share a room, in that case."  
"Aw, man!" groans Danny as he leads his new friends into the house.  
"On the plus side," says Andy, "at least you two won't have to share the bed, right?"  
Moments later, Jazz, in a fit of rage, boots Andy right off the doorstep.  
"Hey!" he shouts after her as she slams the door shut. "I was only joking!"

Next morning, Andy, who figured that he has to keep watch over the house anyway, is still asleep on the front doorstep. Danny opens the door and wakes him, a bit amused at this. "Morning," groans Andy, who not surprisingly is stiff and sore.  
"Morning," says Danny. "Slept well?"  
"Surprisingly well, considering that I had to keep watch on the doorstep all night. How was it on your end?"  
"They slept well, all right. They're having breakfast as we speak."  
"Oh. Well, I guess that's important."  
Danny leads Andy into Fenton Works - finally, for the first time in 6 years - and settles him down at the table. "Slept well last night?" snaps Jazz sarcastically. "Uh, no," says Andy as he helps himself to . "I thought so," replies Jazz, but Andy cuts in by saying, "No, I'm serious. I had a weird dream last night. Weird and horrific, for that matter."  
"What kind of dream?" asks Ash.  
"Well," says Andy, "it involved some kind of Count Dracula with a crazy hairdo, and some sort of Pokemon that looked like the Grim Reaper but bigger. And not to mention Alex - you know, that crossbow-wielding jerk who thinks he's King of the World?"  
"You've had a lot of those kinds of dreams," says Danny. "When did they start?"  
"As far back as I can remember," says Andy. "But somehow they've been becoming more frequent since I lost my talisman."  
"Wait... You lost your talisman?"  
"Yeah. My friends and I are trying to find it and get it back." Andy shows his empty jacket pocket where the talisman is normally pinned.  
"Excuse me," says Ash. "I know it matters to you so much, but you haven't told us why you need that little piece of cheap jewelry so badly."  
"_**CHEAP JEWELRY?**_" Andy shrieks at him, actually rising out of his chair as he slams his clawed hands down on the table, his eyes turning ice-blue with slit pupils again, causing everyone to scream and jump back a little. "That talisman's everything BUT," he snarls. "Without it, I may be entirely out of buisness."  
"How?" asks Brock. "Is it really that important?"  
Andy calms down a bit and sinks back into his chair. "Oh yes it is," he says. "It was the reason I could teach Zach to speak English."  
"The talisman?" asks Brock.  
"Yes, that's the one," says Zach as he chews on some bacon. "The talisman allows Andy to speak and understand the language of Pokemon. It's something he takes particular pride in, because it allows him to pinpoint the cause of an ailing Pokemon's problems and help out some way or another."  
"You stole my thunder, Zach," snarls Andy who is still in a foul mood from Ash's slur about cheap jewelry. "But yes, I can talk to Pokemon when I'm wearing that thing. To me, that gift makes all the difference, and I don't want to be caught dead without it."  
"But we promised to help you get it back, remember?" says Aang, munching on his French toast. "You are our best friend, and that's what friends do."  
"I know that already," says Andy. "But sadly, the fact that I'm so special has made me a magnet for misfortune, especially where bad guys are concerned."  
"Don't worry," says Ash. "We've got your back."  
"Why the back?" quips Zach. "What about the front? That's where all the good stuff is, right? Ow!" Andy has just banged his fist on Zach's tail, and as the Gliding Pokemon winces in pain he says, "You know, sometimes I wish I HADN'T taught you English, Zach."  
"That's enough, boys," says Maddie. "Danny, why don't you give the new guys a tour of our studio?"  
"My pleasure," says Danny, just as he hears a knock on the door. "I'll get it!" he says as he rushes out of the kitchen.  
When Danny opens the door, he's in for a pleasant surprise. There, standing on the doorway, are the two people that have made his life meaningful - Sam Manson, the teenage vegan goth girl, and Tucker Foley, the tech-savvy meat lover.  
"Hey there, Danny," says Tucker. "Whazzup?"  
"We heard you were having guests over," says Sam, "so we thought we'd pay you a visit."  
"Sam! Tucker!" says Danny. "You're just in time. I need a little help with the 'tour of FentonWorks.'"  
"Danny?" asks Ash, appearing at the door with Andy, Aang, and Pi in tow. "Who is it?"  
"I take it those are the guests?" asks Tucker. "Yeah," replies Danny. "Whaddya say we tour the whole town while we're at it too?"

"Fenton Works, huh?" asks Jessie, as she, James, and Meowth lurk in the bushes lining the driveway. "Now THERE's an opportunity to nab some good Pokemon."  
"From what I heard they have a lot of cool Ghost types there," says Meowth. "This could be our lucky day!"  
"Oh goody goody," says James. "The boss will pay us a hefty sum of cash for getting him a good Ghost type!"  
"Riches unbound, here we come!" they whisper together, with Wobbuffet adding its usual cry of, "WAAAAAAH-buffet!"

Later on, the kids are looking around the lab where Danny's parents work. "So this is what FentonWorks looks like," says Aang. "Breathtaking."  
"I know," says Danny. "He's got a lifetime carreer on ghosts and Ghost-type Pokemon. There's a lot of good stuff if you want to see it."  
"Wow," says Aang. "Is that the Ecto Cannon 2000?"  
"Yes it is," says Danny. "You might want to keep your hands off, though, it's very volatile."  
"Volatile?" asks Andy derisively. "Yeah, right. Like I'm afraid of a stupid piece of - "  
**BOOOOOOOOM!**  
The winged Pokemon Trainer, having accidentally leaned on the control panel, lets out a yell of surprise as he recieves a face full of ecto-beam. As he stands there, covered with soot and with a smoldering crater of ashes around him, everyone except - Brock, Danny, Sam, and of course Andy himself - collapses into side-splitting laughter. "It's not a stupid piece of junk," Danny snaps. "It's extremely powerful, so I recommend you stay away from it from now on." Andy blushes and replies with a simple "Sorry."  
"Moving on," says Danny irritably, leading the kids further down the hall until they come across a particularly huge device. It looks like some kind of tunnel with a futuristic doorway, only without the door.  
"And this," says Danny, indicating the bizzare device, "is what changed my life forever. The Ghost Zone Portal." Everyone looks up in awe at the Portal, Ash and Pi especially. "It's beautiful," says Pi. "But why is it unplugged?"  
"My parents had tried to build it to score big bucks on their research," says Danny. "They failed, unfortunately. But nevertheless it changed my own life forever. I'll never forget that day, ever." As he says this, he envisions the blinding flash of light that had given him Ghost powers, as well as Sam and Tucker watching the event unfold. The memory is unforgettable, nostalgic even.  
"Okay, moving on," says Danny again. "It's awesome but it's not a toy, all right?"  
Danny now shows the kids the Pokemon enclosures. "My dad has a whole enclosure for the only Ghost-type Starter Pokemon. He gives them out to very enterprising trainers."  
"A Ghost-type Starter?" asks Ash. "I didn't know they had those."  
"When it comes to Pokemon, there's something for everyone," says Danny, winking.  
Ash's Pikachu, naturally, is occupied with the residents of the glass-lined pens where the Ghost-type Pokemon are being kept. It presses its face against the glass of one of the enclosures, the inside containing dirt and lots of gnarled and tangled vegetation, including what appear to be five or six old tree stumps.  
"What is it, Pikachu?" asks Ash. "Why are you looking at those tree stumps?"  
"They're not tree stumps," says Danny, who has appeared by Ash's side. "They're Pokemon."  
As soon as he says this, one of the tree stumps opens its glowy orange eyes - yes, it has eyes! - and pops out of the ground and looks at them. Ash gives a double take, but next moment all the tree stumps have come to life, each of them skittering about on four short root-like legs. "What are they?" asks Ash, taking out his Pokedex. "_HAUNTREE_," it says. "_The Spooky Pokemon. HAUNTREE sleeps in the deep forest during the day. It buries its body to look like a cut tree, but when travelers walk near it, it spooks them. This Pokemon is very silent and avoids unneccesary fights._"  
"I can see why you put all those branches there," says Pi, who has also appeared along with the others. "Come to think of it, Hauntree actually looks pretty cute."  
"Pika pika," adds Pikachu, smiling at the first Hauntree who has pressed its own face against the glass, in an apparent sign of friendship.  
"My first Pokemon was a Hauntree," says Danny after a short pause. "It was?" asks Aang. "Yeah it was," replies Danny. "But I don't use it that often anymore."  
"How come?" asks Aang. Danny pauses for a moment to try to answer that question, and then says, "C'mon, I'll show you."  
A while later, the kids are at the impound for Ghost-types. Most of Danny's Pokemon are here - Missy, Helena the Drifloon, and Tytowlade and Ghowl. Each group of Pokemon has its own Ghost-proof enclosure. At the very back, there is a special enclosure with a giant cage that is obviously built for a particularly vicious specimen. "Here we are," says Danny when they reach the cage. "I'd like to show you, but you'd have to be careful, because this guy is extremely dangerous."  
"Extremely dangerous?" whimpers Pi as they watch Danny undo the locks around the cage. One, two, three, four locks come off. When the fifth and last lock is about to be undone, Danny steps back, changes into his ghost form, and prepares to finish the unlocking sequence. The cage is now rattling so hard, the floor itself is shaking.  
"Stand back!" shouts Danny as he undoes the last lock. The door of the cage bursts almost the moment the lock comes off, causing everyone to dive for cover. When the dust clears, two sinister yellow eyes peer out from the darkness inside the cave. Pi gives a tiny squeak of horror, Aang shudders, and Andy shifts his weight from foot to foot apprehensively.  
Then the creature emerges in full. This Pokemon looks like a suit of wooden armor, only without the head. Instead the face is located on the chest; said face looks like that of Hauntree, only scarier. Its right arm sports an enormous deadly blade that gleams as it rises to its stick-like feet.  
"Is that a... " Aang starts to ask as he takes out his Pokedex. "_DECAPITREE,_" it says. "_The Headless Armor Pokemon. DECAPITREE hunts in the forest during the night, and sleeps posing like a tree during the day. Legends say that this Pokemon possesses the soul of a knight who cannot rest in peace due to his lack of a head. DECAPITREE's body is incredibly sturdy, like a suit of armor._"  
"So this was Danny's first Pokemon?" asks Ash. "Yeah it was," says Tucker. "But I'm sad to say that he has a bit of an... attitude problem." At this, Decapitree snarls at them menacingly, as if to prove his point.  
"Not to worry," says Ash as he steps forth. "Maybe I can help."  
"Ash! Get away from - " Sam shouts, but it is too late. With a scream of surprise and anger, Decapitree lashes out in anger with a powerful Bullet Seed, sending Ash flying back twenty feet. The Pokemon Trainer slams into the panel on the Ghost Zone Portal, and with a whooshing noise it comes to life, unleashing a flash of light that blinds everyone momentarily as a dense, fierce, greenish cloud of fog explodes forth from the Ghost Zone.  
Coughing and spitting dust, Andy can now make out an enormous figure rising forth. Its face looks like some sort of vampire, with pale blue skin, glowing red eyes, and black hair shaped like Zubat ears. The new enemy sports a huge black and red cape, like that of an old Transylvanian vampire, and he also wears a white suit with a black belt line and flaring collar that billows ominously as he surveys the room.  
"Vlad Plasmius," gasps Danny. "No way."  
"Well well well, if it isn't the ol' Ghost Boy and the Winged Embryo," says Vlad Plasmius, as he tightens his hold on the back of Ash's collar.  
"Who are you calling an Embryo?" Andy snaps angrily. "And what do you want with us?"  
"Oh, let's just say I've joined a little trader's joint. And a profitable one too. I figured I'd stop by to say hello, and probably sell some of your father's Pokemon to boot. Monstrogart Minions, take care of them!"  
With a loud hissing, half a dozen tentacled creatures slither out of the Ghost Zone portal and ensnare all the Pokemon - Pikachu, Decapitree, Misdreavus, Drifloon, Tytowlade, etc. - and load them into cages, bags, and other containing equipment.  
"Vlad, whatever you're doing, it's not a smart idea," snarls Danny.  
"Your opinion doesn't matter, Ghost Boy," Vlad retorts. "I'm hangin' with the big boys now. I can do whatever I want!"  
There is a bang as the door opens, and the rest of the Fentons burst in.  
"Vlad?" shouts Jack as he bursts in. "I thought you'd gone!"  
"Well, if you excuse me, I've got an order to fill. So long, suckers! Bwahahahahahahahahhh!" And with that, Vlad - with all the stolen Pokemon in tow - dissappears through the Portal once more.  
Pi gasps in horror. Aang shakes his head with a worried look on his face. And Danny, of course, slaps his forehead and says, "Oh, not again... "

********************  
"You were attacked by Vlad Plasmius?" asks Professor Parcel through the telecommunications system. "Oh, that's terrible! I'm glad you guys are all right."

"We're all right," says Andy, "But I'm sorry to say that Ash isn't."  
"Ash?" asks Parcel. "What happened to him?"  
"He was taken by Vlad as he disappeared into the Ghost Zone," says Zach. "Heaven knows what'll happen to him, poor guy."  
"Okay," says Faust back at the lab. "Guess that makes things even worse, doesn't it?"  
"Yeah, it does," says Aang. "Now our only way to get him back is to go into the Ghost Zone after Vlad."  
"You have a point," says Parcel. "But I must warn you: The Ghost Zone is a very dangerous place. Its inhabitants do not trust people, especially mutants like Andy. This is one of the times when I regret having worked with you in the lab all those years ago."  
"That's a private matter," Andy snaps harshly. "But I second you and Faust, we'll have to be careful."  
"Not to worry," says Danny, scratching the back of Andy's pointed ears. "At least you guys have me."  
"Yeah," sighs Andy. "And I'm sure Zach and I can handle this too. I mean, look at me. I've rescued a bunch of fossils, I've captured an angry Primigon, I've even faced Team Plasma and Crossbow Jerk like what, fourteen dozen times? Getting Ash and those Pokemon back won't be much of a problem."  
"You were a very good man, recovering those fossils," says Parcel. "I've donated them to Barnum for safe-keeping, don't worry. I'm sure you can take care of this little bit of trouble easily. And please don't forget about your talisman too."  
"We won't forget," says Andy, winking. "We definitely won't."

"I've always known that this thing would actually work someday," says Jack towards the Ghost Zone portal yawning before him. The kids are all set to go through that thing and rescue Ash, complete with Ghostbuster-style mini Ecto Shooters and even a Hover Scooter for extra measure. "Ready, guys?" asks Jack, peering down at them all.  
"Ready when you are," says Andy, the claws on his folded wings clutching his shoulders like epaulets. Zach, of course, is perched on Andy's right shoulder and wing claws, rubbing his hands eagerly.  
Jack steps up to the Ghost Zone Portal, placing himself near the control panel. "Backfire on me," he says more to the machine than in anyone in particular, "and you're dead meat." And with that, he hits the "On" button.  
There is a great whooshing noise as the Portal comes to life again. A glowing green light forms inside as everyone watches. The doorway to the Ghost Zone has been opened.  
"Well," says Danny, taking a deep breath as Spooky the Ghowl sits on his shoulder, "here goes nothing."  
And with that, Danny, Spooky, Andy, Zach, Aang, Pi, Tucker, and Sam all step through the portal into the wild blue - er, wild green yonder.

In the darkest depths of Vlad's lair, everyone is all stuffed into uncomfortable force-field cages. Even Ash.  
"I know a nice market joint who can use someone like you, Ash," says Vlad. "They'd love to have a new servant in the house."  
"You can't take me alive," groans Ash from his cage. "I would sooner die than be subject to slavery."  
"No matter," says Vlad. "It would be such a waste of person. Minions, take him and the Pokemon to the dungeons. Our order should be ready in an hour."  
"Well I won't," Ash shudders to himself as the tentacled beasts scoop up the cages and ferry them off to the dungeons. It's going to be a long evening...

Meanwhile, the other kids are navigating through the Ghost Zone, and boy, is it creepy. Shadows, phantoms, and all sorts of spooky things lurk in every corner.  
Pi lets out a terrified squeak at a sudden flash of something in the darkness. "Pi, stop giving me that look," snaps Danny. "You know there are ghosts around here, and you know they'll like you. As a snack."  
"But I can't help it," says Pi. "This place is so dark and creepy."  
"Please don't tell me you're scared of the dark," says Tucker.  
"I am," says Pi in a frightened voice. "It's just that I don't think anyone can help much."  
"Anyone?" Danny cries in disbelief, taking out another Fenton Ball. "Casper, Go Ghost!" As he hurls the Pokeball into the air, it bursts open as a beam of blue-white light pours forth from it. The light solidifies into the shape of a new Pokemon, hovering in the air happily as it comes into full view. With its bright colors and scarecrow-like appearance, his Pokemon looks like it just waltzed out of a Halloween carnival. Its pumpkin head grins at the kids as the flame in its body illuminates the dark forest clearing.  
Pi gives a squeak of fright and ducks behind Aang's back again, but Sam smiles at her. "No need to be afraid," she says. "It's just Danny's Lantukin, Casper."  
"Lantukin?" asks Pi, taking out her Pokedex. "_LANTUKIN,_" it says. "_The Lantern Pokemon. Said to inhabit old haunted houses, LANTUKIN is a playful Pokemon that often likes to put up light shows with its fires. It is said to scare adults with these light shows, but in reality it gets along well with children, and it will often play with them._"  
"In that case, I guess that it will get along with us," says Pi, a bit embarrassed but smiling all the same.  
"He does," says Danny. "I caught Lantukin shortly after I had Hauntree, Misdreavus, and Drifloon. He's been a big help to me when it comes to dealing with things that go bump in the night."  
"And he'll make sure they DO go 'bump' in the night, I'll bet," Aang quips as Lantukin shows off some of his Firebending tricks. "Casper? You ready for some fun?"  
"Lan! Lantukin!" The Lantern Pokemon flits around his head with glee, but Danny gives him a stern look. "Not the time now, guys," he says. "We've got work to do."  
"Well, what do you say?" asks Pi. "Let's go!"

Back at the Fentons' lab, Jack and Maddie monitor the kids' performance on their special computer system. "The kids are in now," says Maddie. "They should be at Vlad's lair soon."  
"How soon?" asks Jack. "That ghost boy should be handling things himself by now!"  
Then the phone rings somewhere else in the house.  
"Mom! Dad!" Jazz comes running into the room, the phone in her hand. "It's Uncle N! He wants to talk to you!"  
"Uncle N?" gasps Jack. "Aw man, not him!"  
"We have to discuss this with him," says Maddie as she drags Jack out. "He could send us some backup."  
Little do they realize, however, that they weren't the only ones in the room. As they rush out to answer the phone call, they fail to notice three shadows sneak out from behind a vending machine and slip into the still active Ghost Zone Portal.

"Golly," says Meowth. "This place gives me the creeps!"  
"You should have bought torchlights, you idiot!" Jessie snaps at James. "Is there any way we can get to Mr. Vampire's place in the dark?"  
"Actually, there is," says James, taking out his Pokeball. "Vulrrion, go!" The Scavenger Pokemon bursts out with a flash of red light, and screeches happily. "Vulrrion," says James. "You go and find Vlad's lair, and free all the stolen Pokemon."  
"What?" screams Jessie. "Are you crazy? You're actually rescuing Pokemon from the craziest, most power-hungry and egocentric Pokemon poacher we've run into yet?... Wait. That's actually some pretty good thinking."  
"I was proud of it," says James. "Now go, Vulrrion! Fly and be brave! For us!"  
"I'm coming too," says Meowth. "Vulrrion, let's show that Vampire twerp what we're made of!"  
With another happy screech, Vulrrion allows Meowth to climb onto his back, and they take off into the mysterious green sky.

With Lantukin's Will-O-Wisp lighting the way, Danny, Aang, Andy, Pi, Sam, and Tucker have made it out of the dark forests, and have arrived at a clifftop overseeing the main region of the Ghost Zone. "There it is," says Danny. "The Ghost Zone in all its splendor."  
"And there's Pariah's Keep, right on schedule," says Andy. As the others look towards the far end of the city, they can indeed make out a large castle that looks like it was taken right out of a Brahm Stoker film - complete with dark clouds overhead and an occasional forked streak of lightning.  
"I bet that's where Vlad's hiding all the Pokemon," Aang thinks aloud. "Only problem is, how do we get there?"  
"He's right," says Pi. "That castle's probably a mile away! It will take us hours to get there!"  
"And by then it will probably be too late," says Danny with a grim nod, and Spooky gives off a sad hoot in agreement.  
But Andy smiles confidently. "Who says it will take us hours," he says, "when it can take us only a couple of minutes?" And with that, he leaps off the edge of the cliff, and with a sweep of his leathery wings he is as airborne as an autumn leaf on the wind. "Follow me," he says, "and we'll be there in no time!"  
"But I can't fly," says Lapis as she stares down the cliff with a nervous air. "Well, today's for learning," says Danny, and with that he transforms into his Ghost Form and scoops up the blue-haired girl, who lets out a shriek of surprise as she is hoisted aloft and literally spirited away by the young halfa and his Pokemon, Aang close behind on his glider followed by Sam and Tucker on the hover-scooter that Tucker had bought with him.  
They're off, the six young heroes, soaring over the roofs of haunted houses and passing mysterious crystalline skyscrapers. Within ten minutes they are overlooking the vast domicile where Vlad supposedly hides all his booty.  
"That must be Vlad's lair," says Lapis. "He must have a lot of Pokemon here."  
"I'd be surprised if he didn't," says Andy. "You guys have a rest for a moment. Danny and I are going in."  
"But Andy, we - " starts Lapis, but Danny cuts in. "I know you want to help," he says, "but you can't fly and you can't shoot ecto beams. So there."  
As the others descend for a landing, Andy keeps flying, braving the stormy weather to get to the castle.  
When he prepares to land at the highest tower, Andy notices that he isn't the only one in the sky. A large bird-like Pokemon with black feathers, with what looks like a small cat-like Pokemon on its back, appears in the sky and dives down towards the bottom of the castle. "Could that be... "  
With a little hunch on his mind, Andy changes course, folding up his 10-foot wings and diving after the two figures, with Danny close behind. It's a long way down, but soon the two land. Andy folds up his wings, presses himself against the wall to avoid detection by a passing guard - and falls through the wall with a yell of surprise, onto the floor of a cold stone tunnel.  
"Andy!" Danny shouts in surprise. "Are you all right?"  
"I think so," Andy says as he sits up, slightly dazed, and looks around. He has apparently discovered a secret passageway. Could this be... And then he notices the pawprints. Someone else has been here. And he thinks he knows who it was...  
BOOOOOOOOM!  
The Shadow Ball just misses Andy's ear. Both of them turn round, and see Vlad and his Monstrogarts.  
"Hello, Andy," says Vlad with an evil grin. "I've missed you."

Meanwhile, Ash and the others are in the dungeon awaiting whatever fate, well, awaits them. But they won't be for long. Unbeknownst to them, a hole appears in the wall, and something small slips through.  
There is a loud *CLICK* as something undoes the lock to Ash's cage.  
"Hey! Pssst!" says a voice. Ash looks around and gasps in shock. Meowth is pressing his face to the force field, Vulrrion by his side and an anxious expression on his face. "Meowth?" Ash asks with a slight tone of anger. "What are you doing here?"  
"Bustin' you out, of course," he says. "You realize who Vampire Guy's workin' for?"  
"Who?" asks Ash. Then he realizes. "The crossbow guy?"  
"Exactly," says the Scratch Cat Pokemon as he finishes undoing the lock, setting Ash free. "And we at Team Rocket don't exactly do well with competition."  
"Uh," stammers Ash, "thanks, Meowth."  
"Not my problem," says Meowth. "Now we gotta get out of here before - "  
"ATTENTION." The voice from the automated speaker system blares menacingly overhead. "ATTENTION. THERE ARE INTRUDERS IN THE AREA. PLEASE REPORT TO MAIN CENTER IMMEDIATELY."  
"There's our cue," says Meowth. "Jessie and James must've sprang the alarm."  
"Uh, I don't think it was them," says Ash.  
"Whatever the case, we gotta free the other Pokemon and get the heck outta here!" says Meowth, undoing the other locks to the cages. Vulrrion, meanwhile, pecks at a stone in the wall, revealing the secret passageway they had came through. Within seconds, he, Ash, and the rest of the Pokemon are clambering through the passageway. "I wonder if you're the intruders they were talking about?" asks Ash. "I don't know," says Meowth. "But being a Normal type, I think I have more confidence in handling Ghost-types than a regular twerp. Besides, I've mastered Night Slash, so I think I can give it a good fight."  
"Pikachu, pika pikachu pika," says Pikachu, which can translate as, "Good point, but you'd have to work on your nerves too."  
"I guess so," says Meowth. "But if only I knew how... "  
An explosion from ahead of the tunnel brings everyone to a halt before a cloud of dust. Then they see a battered and bruised figure with wings bursting out of the cloud of dust, having apparently been blasted back by a Shadow Ball. Andy lands on his feet, skidding to a halt near them, and clutches his Frimbella tightly as he looks around to see them. "Ash!" he gasps as Danny rushes to his side with Spooky and Casper in tow. "About time, we could use the help."  
"Help?" asks Ash. And then he sees the over half dozen Monstrogarts. "Oh, I see. But what's the problem with those guys anyway?" At this he takes out his Pokedex to give them a double check. "_MONSTROGART,_" it says. "_The Ghoul Pokemon. MONSTROGART is a nocturnal hunter, seeking out sleeping Pokemon or even humans, and draining them of their life force. The tentacles that grow from his head and arms allow him to sense fear in the air, and his resembelance to a jacket allows him to hide in closets or on bedposts. Some very special MONSTROGART can even make themselves invisible._"  
"OK, now THERE'S a problem," says Ash. "You ready, Tytowlade?"  
The Phantom Pokemon gives a screech of obedience. "All right," says Ash. "Let's start this with Wing Attack!" With a piercing cry, Tytowlade charges through the air towards the Monstrogart, which scatter in fright as the giant bird's glowing wings catch Vlad in the face, sending him flying sideways into the wall. "Grrrrr, why YOU - " he snarls ferociously. "Monstrogart, use Shadow Ball!" Within the next second, eight powerful balls of ecto energy slam Tytowlade in the face, sending her flying back into Ash.  
"Don't give up now," says the Pokemon Trainer. "You can do this! Use Night Slash!"  
"I'll help too," says Meowth, extending his claws. Vulrrion shrieks in approval, also stepping forward to fight. "I'll need it," says Ash. "Tytowlade, Meowth, Vulrrion - triple Night Slash!"  
At this, all three Pokemon rush forward, their claws glowing with dark energy. The Monstrogart scatter, but half of them are taken down by their opponents' combined might. "Nice one," says Danny. "Now, you two, double Shadow Ball!" Ghowl and Lantukin promptly release two more Shadow Balls, taking down another Monstrogart.  
Now, however, Vlad begins to fight dirty. "Why must I do everything myself?" he snarls, and with that he fires a blast of red-pink ecto ray at the kids. Andy immediately shoots a green ecto ray in return with his Ghostbusters' blaster, neutralizing the blast. One more blast later, and Vlad is knocked backwards and out of the tunnel.  
"Let's go!" Andy shouts, and everyone makes a break for it, leaving Vlad in the dust. But he isn't going to be bested for long. "Go, my minions!" he shouts. "After them!"  
The Monstrogart rush forward, and within minutes Andy, Ash, Danny and co. find themselves in the midst of a wild chase through the Ghost Zone. Shadow Balls fly, Night Slashes shred empty air. But Andy knows better than to stay and fight. "Guys!" he screams as he sees his friends. "We've got them! Let's go!"  
And with that, everyone takes to the skies, the Flying types carrying the non-flying types. But Andy knows that Vlad is following with a vengance.  
Soon, however, they realize that Vlad isn't their only trouble. A great storm, stirred up by the changing currents of Ectoplasm, is brewing in the Ghost Zone skies. The flock try to steer away, but they get sucked into the storm. Buffeted by the violent winds, they find it very difficult to keep sight of one another. But Andy's courage keeps them moving onward. "Keep moving, guys!" he keeps shouting. "Keep moving!"  
Then an Ecto Blast strikes, a literal bolt from the blue, just missing Andy's ear. "Crap!" he shouts, as he sees Vlad streak out from a cloud past them.  
Then he sees it. Dead ahead, just thirty seconds' flight away. Now if only they can keep themselves together...  
"There it is!" Danny shouts. "The portal!"  
"I don't think so," shouts Vlad as he streaks back downwards and slams into the Ghost Boy. The two viciously grapple in the air, like wild animals, as Danny desperately tries to keep up with the others. Ten seconds to reentry, and Andy begins the countdown, now absolutely determined to return to the real world.  
"Acessing portal in ten... nine... eight... "  
Danny begins to lose altitude. Ash looks back, terrified. Flashes of green and red penetrate the storm clouds.  
"Six... five... four... "  
There is a piercing shriek and a slash of talons. Hedwig II, the Tytowlade, has come to the rescue with a powerful Night Slash! Vlad screams in frustration as he is sucked into the raging tempest.  
"Three... two... one... "  
**WHOOSH!**  
Soaking with ectoplasm and with their hair, feathers, leaves, etc. mussed up by the wind, everyone tumbles to the floor, and all the Pokemon scatter off to their respective enclosures happily. "Well," wheezes Zach, barely able to breathe due to the excitement mere seconds earlier, "that was fun, wasn't it?"  
The storm has apparently stopped at the other side of the portal. There is no more wind. It's all over... or so everyone thinks.  
"Whew," says Danny, brushing his eyebrow. "I'm glad that's over."  
"Oh, not quite, children."  
With a horrible whooshing noise, Vlad rises out from the Ghost Zone portal, with a furious expression. "What is this," he growls. "Deja vu?"  
"I don't think so," snarls Danny. "This time, we're ready for you."  
And with that, he lunges at him angrily. Ectoplasm blasts fly everywhere as the two of them brawl back and forth, back and forth. Andy looks wildly around, trying to see if he can help in any way.  
And then his eyes fall upon the Ecto Cannon.  
"Uh, Danny?" he asks in a worried voice, as Danny gets blasted backwards and hits the wall next to him.  
"What is it?" asks the halfa as he and Ash turn to face him. Then they look at the Ecto Cannon. Andy smiles, remembering his little mishap. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks.  
Danny looks at the cannon, and then at the portal. "Absolutely," he grins, and swoops after Vlad again.  
"Yoo hoo, Vwaddie vwaddie!" Danny shouts, causing Vlad to look round and recieve an ecto blast to the face, point blank, sending him carreening across the room towards the Ghost Zone portal again. Andy repositions the cannon, preparing to fire, but just as he hits the Fire button, another Ecto Blast slams him hard in the chest, sending him flying. Next thing he knows, Vlad is looming dangerously over him.  
"Good luck trying to blast me out of existence, Embryo," Vlad laughs evilly as he readies his most powerful Ecto Blast yet. "MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Now, prepare... to meet... your DOOM!"  
"Not so fast, Vampire Twerp!"  
Vlad looks round, just in time to see a pair of enormous red fangs streaking out of nowhere. With a hiss of fury, the Fang Snake Pokemon slams into him, sinking its fangs into his flesh as he cries out in surprise and pain; meanwhile, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Vulrrion emerge from the Ghost Zone portal and scamper across the room. That is all Andy needs. Repositioning the Ecto Cannon with the control panel (and James's help), he aims it so that its firing angle and radius precisely match the Ghost Zone Portal, which is still humming. Vlad, meanwhile, catches hold of Decapitree, who swipes viciously at him but to no avail. Seviper rears up, hissing, but then it sees the Plasma Cannon and backs away.  
"What are you afraid of?" asks Vlad, readying another ecto blast. "I'm guessing... it's ME!"  
"Wrong," snarls Andy, causing him to look around. "Catch THIS, Plasmodork." And with that he slams his hand on the control panel...  
**KABOOOOOOOOOOMMM!**  
There is an enormous explosion as the Ecto Cannon goes off, the shot hitting Vlad square in the chest and sending Decapitree flying. With a yell, Danny swoops in and grabs his very first Pokemon, and the two crash to the ground, bruised but unharmed. Vlad of course isn't so lucky. The evil halfa is blasted so hard that he only has enough breath for his terrible scream as he is forced back to the Ghost Zone from whence he came: _**"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**_  
Almost the moment the ecto blast dissipates, Andy slams the "Off" button on the Ghost Zone portal, sealing it shut once more.  
The whole place is destroyed. There is equipment and stuff strewn everywhere, and broken glass, broken instruments, and broken everything litter the floor. But the only thing Andy is interested in is the little badge on the center of the floor.  
He picks up the little blue badge with the claws on his right wing, and sees the golden crossbow insignia upon it. Then he clutches it in anger. "Alex," he says to himself in cold fury. "Danny!" Jack, Maddie, and Jazz all rush into the room. "Oh Danny," cries Maddie as she hugs him. "We were so worried about you!"  
"You were?" asks Danny. "Mom, I'm fine."  
"But the lab!" says Jack. "We saw you fight Vlad there. You could have been seriously hurt!"  
"He wasn't, fortunately," says Andy, absentmindingly leaning on what he thinks is the wall, "thanks to my - AAAAAAAAAAGH!" The Ecto-Cannon swivels back downward and blasts him yet again. Turns out he had leaned on the control panel again.  
Andy, now covered in soot again, finishes his sentence. "Misfortune... and inspiration." And everyone, even Andy, Ash, Brock, and the rest of the Fentons, bursts out laughing.

Later that evening, Andy, Zach, and Danny meet up with Team Rocket at the back of the house, where the Pokemon thieves turned temporary heroes are hiding. "All I have to say is, 'thanks,'" says Andy. "You were a very big help to us. I couldn't have saved our Pokemon without you."  
"Well, what could I say?" says Jessie. "It was the only thing we could do."  
"Like I said, we don't appreciate competition," says Meowth. "We prefer to have all the fun for ourselves."  
"We also figured that being nice every once in a while would prevent us from being on the recieving end of your wrath. Right?" asks James, scratching the back of his neck.  
"Yeah," says Danny with a smile. "It really does help. And here in Kroel we need all the help we can get. Don't you agree, Ichabod?" Ichabod the Decapitree, whose respect Danny has earned, nods in agreement.  
"Well, we better get going now," says Zach as he glances at Andy's watch. "Feel free to mess up our antics whenever you want, jerkwads. Just don't try to overdo it."  
"We won't," says Jessie. "Though I would appreciate it if you refer to us as 'jerks' less often."  
"Yeah, like it's my fault you call us 'twerps' all the time," says Andy with a wink. "Go figure. But enough about me... keep it cool, guys." And with a wave of warm farewell, he and Danny leave. "You'd think," says Jessie, "that we'd be a lot more immoral."  
"Good point," says James. "I wonder how many episodes we've spent cheering on the good guys."  
"All I can say is," says Meowth, "it'll be a while before we give up THAT habit. After all, there sure are a lot of people who are far nastier then we are."  
"Waaaaaaa-buffet!" says Wobbuffet, which can be translated as, 'I couldn't agree more!'

"Well," says Danny to his parents. "I guess this is where I say goodbye. For now."  
"We're proud of you, son," says Jack. "We always are. Don't worry, we'll look out for you."  
"We'll send you e-mails every week," says Maddie. "And Uncle N would love to hear about your travels."  
"What about you guys?" asks Ash to Sam and Tucker. "Oh, we'll be going too," says Sam. "But just us. Danny can go with you, but we can't, I'm afraid. Too much expenses."  
"Sam and I will be travelling by ourselves," says Tucker. "Oh, and Jazz is coming too."  
"We'll be helping out anyone in need," says Jazz. "And stopping Alex is our N.O.P. - Number One Priority!"  
Danny hugs Jack for one last time. "Bye Dad," he says. "I'll miss you."  
"We'll miss you too," says Jack.

Rejoining with the others, Danny and Andy decide to continue their quest for the latter's missing so, with a new friend in their circle, Ash, Andy, and co. bid farewell to the rest of the Fenton family, as well as Sam and Tucker, and head off down the road, into the sunset, towards their next adventure... with Team Rocket's shadow following close behind, of course.

[Danny:] _"So, all in all, Vlad was defeated (again), I earned Decapitree's respect, and Ash and co. got some new friends. Everything worked out, I guess. Still, Andy's got a talisman to find, and I've decided to help him out. I know it's going to be a long and dangerous quest, but what can I say? It's just another day in the life of your favorite ghost-superhero extraordinaire, Danny Phantom!"_

**To be continued...**  
****************************************

**[Andy:]** And so, we now have a new friend on our team, and some new hope for this brave new world. Damn, how did that thing come on even though it was unplugged?  
**[Danny:]** Vlad must've plugged it in himself, I think.  
**[Andy:]** Well, at least we busted him. But this certainly won't be his last appearance. He'll get a lot more alongside Pokemon Hunter Alex.  
**[Danny:]** Alex? You mean I get to meet him later?  
**[Andy:]** Yeah. Go figure. Now onto cultural references.  
**[Danny:]** Oh, goody.  
**[Andy:]** First of all, Casper's (the Lantukin) name is taken from Casper the Friendly Ghost, who also happens to be the derivation of Danny's high school.  
**[Danny:]** Yeah. Shame we couldn't see more of it. Maybe it'll appear in a Pokemon: Chronicles episode.  
**[Andy:]** Oh, and the first guy who can guess who Uncle N is gets a free cookie from each of us! Hint: It's one of Darksilvania's characters. Just look up his account and you'll see for yourself.  
**[Danny:]** The others, of course, get just one cookie. Oh, and lastly, Decapitree got a name! His name is taken from Ichabod Crane, from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  
**[Andy:]** Really? Awesomeness! Well, that's all for tonight. This is Andy and Danny reporting live from Kroel. 'Till next time...  
**[Both:]** Read and review! :D

Pokemon (c) Nintendo  
Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) Nickolodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko  
Danny Phantom (c) Nickelodeon, Butch Hartman  
Professor Parcel, all fakemon (c) Darksilvania

-SS


	5. Chapter 5: Spellshocked!

Hi guys! It's been SO FREAKING LONG since I've been here, especially because of work and stuff. But anyway, this is the next chapter of Pokemon: Iron/Copper. Not much to say here, so, enjoy!

As always: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAKEMON FEATURED IN THIS FANFICTION. All Powermon belong to Juan Pablo, aka Darksilvania, whose deviantART account can be found here:

darksilvania . deviantart . com (remove spaces)  
********************

Ep 5: **Spellshocked!** (Aang reads the title card.)

_Timmy is an average kid that no one understands Mom and Dad and Vicky always giving him commands (Bed, Twerp!)_

_Doom and gloom up in his room Is broken instantly By his magic little fish who grant his every wish 'Cause in reality..._

_. . . They are his odd parents Fairly Odd Parents (Wands and wings)_  
_(Floaty crowny things)_  
_Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents_

_Really mod, pea pod, buff bod, hot rod Obtuse, rubber goose, green moose, guava juice,_  
_giant snake, birthday cake, large fries, chocolate shake_

_Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents It flips your lid when you're the kid with . . ._  
_Fairly Odd Parents (Yeah right!)_

[Aang:] _"While on our quest to recover Andy's talisman, our heroes (that's us, by the way) decided to settle down near Dimmsdale Town. Sadly, though each of us knew that we were going to have many adventures, I still hadn't a chance to shine since defeating the Fire Nation. Luckily for me, that very chance was about to present itself . . . "_

"Find! Find!" That little Dolphind, who had been following the team for a while now, is literally standing on the surface of the water, keeping itself up with the beating of its tail. Andy, Aang, Lapis, and Ash are all standing on the shore of the little lake near their campsite, watching urgently.  
"Gosh," says Aang. "Can that thing ever stop being so annoying?"  
"Not likely," says Andy. "It's as if it WANTS to fight, and it still beats poor lil' Triton every time."  
"All right Hiponea," says Pi. "Use Ice Beam!"  
"Hipo-o-o . . . NEEEEEEEIIIIIGH!" The Sea Horse Pokemon's Ice Beam builds up as a glowing blue ball in his mouth, and then shoots forth with a brilliant flash of light blue. It is met with the same technique that Dolphind had used to defeat Triton earlier. But the kids has grown wise to this technique. "Dolphind's using Ice Aqua Jet again!" says Ash as he sees Dolphind's Aqua Jet freezes solid. "Look out!"  
"All right," shouts Lapis. "Hiponea, use Fin Slap!"  
Okay, not MUCH wiser.  
Triton may be fast, but Dolphind is faster. Even as his powerful flipper slams Dolphind head-on, it is too strong, and it slams him in the chest again.  
"Triton!" Pi cries out as Hiponea smashes back onto the shore. Dolphind rears up above the water again, cackling in amusement, and then dives back into the water, and out of sight.  
Pi's heart sinks. "I was so close . . . And then YOU had to screw it up for me!" she lashes out at Ash.  
"Oh yeah?" Ash snaps back. "Well you should learn to think first."  
"Well if you hadn't butted in, I would've caught myself my second Pokemon! So there!"  
"Well you should've listened to me instead of marching to your own tune. So there too!"  
"Ash! Lapis!" Aang, sensing the urgency, leaps in and positions himself between the two bickering trainers. "Settle down, both of you," he says. "It was only an accident. Lapis will have another go next time."  
"If there is a next time," Lapis retorts as she storms back to camp in a huff, the rest of them close behind.  
"Well, that didn't go too badly," says Aang.  
"Not too badly?" says Andy with a grin. "You were amazing!"  
"Well, it's my job to keep the quarelling down after all," Aang smiles confidently. "Settling disputes and making peace - all in a day's work for the Avatar."  
Then something else catches his eye. There is something in the bushes. Instinctively, the Airbender readies his battle staff, his expression changing to one of concern.  
But a moment later, the something comes out of the bushes, and it turns out to be a tiny Escalance. And upon realizing this, Aang breathes a sigh of relief.  
"What is it now?" asks Lapis, still grumpy from her squabble with Ash.  
"It's not a Garchomp, don't worry," says Aang, scratching the back of his neck. "Just a little Escalance . . . but what is it doing here?" Just to be sure, he takes out his Pokedex. "_ESCALANCE,_" it says. "_The Balance Pokemon._ _This Pokemon always stands up straight and no matter what, it cannot fall to the ground. It is thought that this happens thanks to the perfect balance of opposite energies inside it._"  
Aang can now make out the Pokemon's full form as it steps out into the full sunlight. It looks humanoid, but for the enormous bowl-like something on its head (not to mention the white ball on top of that). Its porcelain-like skin is predominately white, but it also has stripes of yellow on its bowl, as well as yellow hands, feet, and collar. Its eyes, blue as sapphire jewels, peer up at the Avatar with a pleading expression.  
"Hey Lapis," says Aang. "You wanna shot at this little guy? He looks lost."  
"Thanks," says Pi, "but no thanks. I only want Pokemon that are specifically blue AND Water types, and Escalance isn't any of them."  
"Fine," says Aang, taking out a Pokeball. "If you won't, then I will. Volarimp, lend me your service!"  
With a twirling of his battle staff, Aang sends out his Winged Monkey Pokemon, who swoops into the air with a rush of white wings as Escalance totters below.  
"Flying types like you can dodge Fighting-type moves," Aang calls up to Volarimp. "Escalance's a Light type as well as a Fighting type, though, so be careful."  
"Scale! Escalance!" The little Balance Pokemon, taking note of the threat, positions itself in the famous pose that distinguishes its family: the Scales of Heaven.  
"All right, let's start this," says Aang. "Volarimp, use Brick Break!"  
Volarimp's fist glows white as he swoops in, slamming Escalance hard. But to Aang's surprise, it flips head over heels and lands on its feet, its balance unharmed. Volarimp swoops in for another go, but this time Escalance is ready for him. Its own fist glows white and it leaps high into the air, barrelling straight at the Winged Monkey.  
"Well I'll be, that thing knows Sky Uppercut!" gasps Aang, astonished. "Volarimp, counter with Dizzy Punch!" The Winged Monkey obliges, folding his wings and swooping down with a spin, countering the attack. But that's where things break down. The indignant Escalance, fearing for being carried off, immediately begins barraging Volarimp angrily with a powerful Close Combat, at which the startled Volarimp replies with Dizzy Punch as the two come crashing to the ground. Next moment, the battle has degenerated into some kind of drunken brawl, raising a cloud of dust on the ground that Aang can barely see through. That's when he steps in.  
'Volarimp! Escalance!' he shouts in Pokemon language as he seperates the two. 'Cut it out!'  
'Whaddya mean, cut it out?' Volarimp shouts at him, still struggling. 'He started it!'  
'Well I didn't do anything,' shouts Escalance. 'I was in a big enough mess already! And now look at what you're trying to do . . . '  
'I was trying to help you,' says Aang. 'And I'd appreciate it if you stop complaining about this, it's just a guy thing.'  
'For me it's not!' Escalance snaps at him. 'Why?' asks Aang. 'Because you're not fully evolved?'  
'No,' says Escalance, 'because I'm a girl!'  
Aang gives a double take at this, but then he calms down. 'Oh all right,' he says. 'But could you at least be polite enough to explain yourself?'  
'Well,' says Escalance, calming down a bit, 'I was always a long way away from home. The Dimmsdale Town museum, to be precise. It's about 2 miles from here, and it's where I live along with a lot of other ancient artifact Pokemon.'  
'Ancient artifact Pokemon?' asks Aang, now interested. 'So that means you can cast ancient spells or something?'  
'Well,' says Escalance, 'that's exactly what that crazy scoundrel known as Mr. Crocker wanted from me when he tried to steal me. There I was, sleeping in my little glass case, when it got smashed, and the next thing I knew I was being loaded onto a truck and driven away.'  
'Gosh, that's terrible!' says Aang. 'But you escaped, right?'  
'It's a long story. But for all I know it did involve a kind young human by the name of Timmy Turner.'  
'Timmy? You don't mean . . . '  
'Well, for all I know I must've gotten lost, because I didn't see what direction we were going from the museum.'  
'Just stay calm and don't try to beat anyone up,' says Aang as he scoops up Escalance in his hands, with Volarimp on his shouder. 'We'll get you to the nearest town straight away!'  
Moments later, the Avatar bursts into camp, followed by Lapis and Ash. "Guys!" he says. "I need your help, and fast!" The three older friends in the team - Brock, Andy and Danny - are packing up and preparing to continue traveling, but they look up and sees the little Balance Pokemon cradled in Aang's hands. "Let me guess," says Danny. "It's something to do with whatever you bought home, isn't it?"  
"This poor Escalance is lost and hurt," says Aang. "We have to get to the nearest town and get help!"  
"Hey," says Andy. "Isn't that the Escalance from the Dimmsdale Town Museum? . . . Oh no. What happened?"  
"We have to get her back," says Aang. "And fast!"

Within minutes, everyone has arrived at the town of Dimmsdale. Escalance, of course, has been tucked away in Aang's backpack. "Here we are in Dimmsdale," says the Avatar, "but where's the museum?"  
Just then, a motorcycle screeches to a halt next to them, and a policewoman, blue hair and all, glares down at them. "Aang!" she says upon seeing him. "About time, there's been a robbery at the Dimmsdale museum!"  
"I knew - I mean, oh no!" says Aang. "What did they take?"  
"They apparently stole the entire Ancient Egyptian exhibit," says the policewoman. "Every last artifact. I'm on my way there right now, and since you're here, I think I might as well take you along for the ride. But I'm afraid your buddies will have to stay."  
"No they're not."  
A new trainer, a bucktoothed boy with brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a pink hat and shirt and blue pants, appears from the sidecar of the motorcycle. He is apparently a new trainer, given his small stature and the fact that the only Pokemon he has is a tiny monkey - not like Volarimp, no, but light green, with a passing resemblance to a baby baboon - aka, an Apeaf.  
"Timmy? What - Oh! I forgot!" says Aang, slapping his forehead.  
"What is it?" asks Danny. Then he sees Timmy, and both of them rush over and hug him. "Timmy!" Aang cries as Volarimp perches on Timmy's head. "We missed you so much!" cries Danny.  
"Guys?" asks Lapis. "What's going on?"  
"This is Timmy Turner, everyone," says Aang, introducing Timmy to the others. "He's from Dimmsdale, aka here. But that's only the first part of the story . . . " But he is interrupted by the policewoman's whistle, and quickly changes course. "Oh, and this is Officer Jenny," he continues. "I heard every town has one of those. Even here in Kroel."  
"Excuse me, Avatar," says Officer Jenny, "but we've got a bunch of robbers to fix. Come on, Avatar!"  
"We have to help, too!" says Andy, the talons on his wings clutching his shoulders with a determined air. "This is a serious problem, and it has to be dealt with personally and under the supervision of the Academy."  
"Oh all right," says Officer Jenny. "Follow me!" And with that, she rushes off down the street, the others close behind.  
"How did Officer Jenny get all the way to Kroel?" asks Ash in a low voice.  
"Let's just say that the Academy likes to tinker with a lot more than just Pokemon," says Aang with a wink, before the two rush off after the others.  
Five minutes later, everyone's arrived at the Dimmsdale museum. There's chaos everywhere! The whole building has been roped off with police tape. People are crowded all over. Police are standing by on every corner, and it takes a lot of clever talking on the part of Officer Jenny and Andy. And then there's the inside of the building itself. Everything seems okay, save for the almost total vacancy . . . until you get to the exhibition hall. It's a total mess! All the glass cases have been smashed to bits, and broken glass is strewn everywhere. Not a single artifact can be seen. "Oh no," gasps Andy. "I guess it's going to take a lot more than just putting poor little Escalance on her pedestal to restore order here."  
"Escalance?" asks Officer Jenny. "You have Escalance?"  
"That's the only thing we have, I'm afraid," says Aang, taking off his backpack to show everyone, but Timmy immediately shushes him down. "Aang!" he whispers. "Do you want anyone else to know you have that thing?"  
"Oops, good point," Aang says. "So, I wonder who would steal these artifacts? Team Rocket perhaps? Or Alex? Or Team Plasma?"  
"A lot of people, actually," says a voice from nearby. "The treasures of my people were always worth great value to anyone willing to get their hands on them."  
Another figure, accompanied with other police officers, appears. She appears to be wearing a white tunic, with blue and yellow decorations all over. Her hair is black and styled like someone from Ancient Egypt, and blue makeup decorates her suntanned face and skin.  
"So this is the famous Ash Ketchumn," she says. "And I see you have the Ghost Boy, Danny Fenton/Phantom, and the Winged One, Andy Tempest, coming with you too. Hello, friends. My name is Cleo."  
"Uh, Hi . . . Cleo," Ash pauses nervously. For someone so beautiful, she looks surprisingly intimidating. "So yeah, I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu."  
"I'm Lapis," says Lapis. "But you can call me Pi."  
"And I'm Brock," says Brock as he sidles up to Cleo, in his usual love speech, and kneels at her feet with his famous lovesick expression. "I've been waiting so long to meet you. It was our destiny to be together. Our destiny to have each other has our - AAAGH!" Andy, feeling the need to intervene, has just planted his foot on the back of Brock's head, pinning him to the ground. "That's enough from you, Brock," he snarls. "We've got a job to do."  
"Seconded," says Officer Jenny. "We'll have to search as much of the area as possible."  
"Agreed," says Andy. "Ash, you and Aang help Timmy cover the east wing. Officer Jenny, Brock and Danny will cover the central area. Lapis and I can take care of the rest. I think."  
"Right," says everone. "Let's get our Pokemon out too!"  
So everyone calls forth all their Pokemon (except Steelix and Primigon for obvious reasons), and split up to search the area for any clues to the robbery.

Aang, Ash, and Timmy have before them the task of searching the right wing, which has apparently been ransacked in a mad attempt at escape. "Man," says Ash, with Pikachu on his right shoulder and Fhuriegle on his left. "You'd think they'd have a cleaner getaway."  
"Agreed," says the Avatar. "This whole place looks like a herd of Tauros stampeded through it!" Escalance takes a tiny peek from inside his backpack and mutters, 'Whoa, you're not kidding!'  
The kids pause in front of a fallen statue of Palkia. "Is there any way we can cover more ground?" asks Aang.  
"I know someone who can help," says Timmy. He then turns his head up towards the rafters and whistles some sort of signal.  
Three tiny bird Pokemon - a green Pidgey, a pink Tailow, and a purple Starly - all flutter down to greet them. To Ash's surprise, they speak! "Timmy!" says Wanda. "About time, we were planning to help you with this matter!"  
"And probably get ourselves a frozen yogurt while we're at it," says Cosmo. "Poof!" goes their baby, aptly named Poof.  
"Whoa," says Ash. "Who are these guys?"  
"Can you keep a secret?" says Timmy, just before he snaps his fingers. At once, the three Pokemon transform with poofs and clouds of colored smoke into - gasp! - fairies! Not like Clefairy, no - real, live fairies!  
"Let me guess," says Ash. "Fairy godparents?"  
"Exactly," says Timmy. "Ash, meet Wanda, Cosmo, and Poof."  
"Hi mom!" says Cosmo.  
"Great," says Aang, Volarimp chittering excitedly on his shoulder. "We'll be able to cover better ground with these guys. Just make sure the fairies aren't seen, all right?"  
"We've got that covered," says Wanda. And with that, all three fairies transform into color-coded walkie-talkies. Wanda gets paired up with Aang, Cosmo with Ash, and Poof with Timmy for extra precautions.  
Within five minutes, everyone is searching the west wing. While Aang covers the cafeteria and lockers, Ash stays around the sculpture hall while Timmy goes for the painting exhibits. Each of them searches with great care, scanning the rooms all the while with their radar.  
Ten minutes later, something turns up on Poof-talkie's radar. There is a noise from nearby, and Timmy notices someone vanishing through a doorway.  
"Ash!" says Timmy into Poof-Talkie. "Something's up in the painting hall, do you copy?"  
"I'm at the Sculpture exhibit," Ash replies. "I think I saw someone disappearing around the corner. He's headed for . . . " He checks the map and gasps. "The locker room!"  
"Aang?" asks Timmy. "Aang, there's someone coming! Aang?"

The locker rooms seem empty, but somehow, Aang still feels cautious. The whole place looks rather dark and sinister, and it feels like something can jump out and attack at any time.  
'Any idea what we're up against, Aang?' says Volarimp. 'I don't know,' the Avatar replies in Pokemon language. 'But I think we'll have to play it safe here. If there's anything wrong I'll let you know, OK?'  
'Okay.'  
"Volarimp, return," he says in normal language as he recalls Volarimp. But the flash of red light seems to have attracted something. There is a creaking noise behind him, and he whips around to face the threat. The shadows seem to be moving . . .  
As Aang slowly backs away, he gets the feeling that he is not alone in the dim light of the locker area. And sure enough, he does back into something. Something huge, with gray skin, black messed up hair, bad teeth, and muscular arms like some kind of pro wrestler.  
"Well well," says Frances, the Dimmsdale school bully. "It looks like we have a new friend."  
"Well what do you want?" says Aang, trying to sound casual. "What do I want?" Frances snaps at him. "What do you want? Hmm, maybe you want a knuckle sandwich, 'cuz I'm happy to deliver those to eavesdroppers."  
"Uh, not to digress here," says Aang, "but do you happen to know a collection of ancient artifacts somewhere around here?"  
But the next thing he knows, he's being forced bodily into the nearest locker. With a grunt of sadistic laughter, Frances slams the door in Aang's face, sealing him in.  
'Aang?' asks Escalance, poking her head out of the Avatar's backpack. 'Is it safe to come out now?'  
'Shhhhh!' Aang whispers, shoving her back in. 'I get the feeling we're not alone . . . '  
Sure enough, the two of them can hear voices coming from the other side of the locker.  
"We are not alone in our operations," says Frances. "Someone else has his eyes set on the Idol of Ranima."  
"Someone else?" says a sinister female voice, not unlike that of Aang's old arch-nemesis, Azula. "What does he want, limitless power?"  
"No, Vicky," says a third voice, which sounds very sinister for being quite wimpy - which could only come from Denzel Q. Crocker. "He wants more than that, girl. A lot more."  
"In what sense?" asks Frances. "Ranima is like what, the bridge to the Spirit world? A la Giratina and the Reverse World?"  
"Yes," says Vicky. "That's true. Whatever that guy's after, we must not let him have it. It will be dangerous to us if another guy gets the ability to acess the Magical World."  
"Well," says Crocker. "There is someone who has that power already."  
"The Avatar?" says Frances.  
"How'd you guess?" asks Vicky. "I don't know, it was just a guess," replies Frances.  
"So the Avatar is after Ranima's idol," says Crocker. "No wonder. He wants to acess the Magical World so that he can obtain the power of Arceus. I won't let him!"  
"Wait, doesn't Timmy already have the power of Arceus?" says Vicky. "I mean, with all the things he's done to us . . . "  
"Oh yes," says Crocker. "Yes, he has done a lot of crazy things to us, and when that happens it can mean only one thing . . . FAIRY GODPARENTS!"  
"And your point?" asks Vicky. "It's not like getting Ranima's power would be helpful."  
"No," snarls Crocker. "It IS helpful. Ranima's idol is part of a triple set. And that triple set opens the gates to the magical world. So I must have the task of delivering the totem of Ranima to Nega-Chin, so that he unite it with the idols of Zeukico and Odserker, and open the gates to that place. And when that moment arrives, I will finally have access to . . . FAIRY WORLD!" And with a scream of glee and triumph, Crocker bounds down the hallway, dancing all the way, with Frances and Vicky following.  
The moment the evil professor's gone, Aang and Escalance stick their heads out of the locker, looking very worried indeed.  
"Oh no," Aang says to himself. "What am I going to tell Timmy?"  
"Escalance," says Escalance in terrified agreement.

Iron and Copper Episode 5: Spellshocked! Part 2/2

"So," says Lapis, peeking into the hole of a modern art sculpture. "Is there anything we can do to restore order here?"  
"I'm not sure," says Andy. "For all I know, that Escalance was just a replacement for the Idol of Ranima."  
"The Idol of Ranima," says Lapis thoughtfully. "What would someone want with that thing?"  
"Hmm," muses Andy. "Maybe there is something very valuable that has to do with that Idol."  
"And I wonder what," says Lapis. "From what I've heard," says Zach as he peers into an air conditioning vent, "that Idol is part of a special trio that opens a special portal that will take you to any other World. I'll bet whomever wanted it had the means to acess any of these worlds."  
"Hmm," says Lapis. "If they used Escalance to replace the Idol, maybe - "  
BEEP BEEP BEEP Pi's Poketracker suddenly starts beeping. It's an incoming transmission! Whatever it is, she responds to it almost immediately.  
"Hello?"  
"It's me," says a familiar voice. "I'm in the basement archives."  
"Wait - what?" asks Pi. "How did you get down there?"  
"It's a long story," says Aang through the other end. "But as a famous guy once said, 'the game is afoot.'"  
"Please don't tell me it has to do with the Idol of Ranima," groans Andy's voice through Aang's Poketracker.  
"Actually, it does," says Aang. "That Mr. Crocker guy Escalance told me about? He has the other Idols too."  
"Wait - what?" asks Pi. "That's why he's here," says Aang. "He needs the third Idol to finish the trio and open Nega-Chin's Dimensional Portal."  
"Great," snarls Pi's voice. "And I thought nicking Escalance was dastardly."  
"I think you'd have to warn Timmy about this," says Andy. "If my hunch is right, Crocker wants to use that portal to get to Fairy World!"  
"No need to do that, Aang," says another voice to Wanda-talkie. "I heard you the first time."  
"Timmy?" asks Aang. "Where are you?"  
"Right behind you," says the young Pokemon Trainer. Aang whips around in surprise, but upsets one of the shelves and looses something small and glittery that falls right into his hands. The Idol of Ranima.  
"I'm behind the shelf, you idiot!" shouts Timmy. "Shhhh!" the Avatar shushes him. "Someone's gonna hear us!"  
Then he notices the Idol glittering. "Whoa," he breathes to himself. "Is this really - "  
"Wait," says Timmy. "You found the Idol of Ranima?"  
"I think so," says Aang. "Now all we have to do is get it to the others. And fast!"  
"Pika?" Pikachu has just appeared around a corner. Next moment, Ash has just appeared too, with Timmy close behind. "Aang?" he asks. "Whoa - what is that thing?"  
"Ladies and gentlemen," says Aang as he holds up the little statue, "I present to you the Idol of Ranima."  
But just then, there is a blur of dirty feathers, and in the next instant, the Idol is yanked out of the Avatar's hands.  
'Volarimp!' shouts Aang as he watches the darker Volarimp flying up into the rafters. 'What are you doing? Someone's going to steal that!'  
'I'm over here, fuzz-brain,' says Aang's Volarimp, popping out of his Pokeball. And then, out of the darkness, there comes a whole flock of Volarimp! They surround the three kids, manic expressions on their faces. "Okay," says Aang. "THIS is not a good thing, isn't it?"

"What is that mysterious sound?" (Jessie)  
"It's the promise of riches unbound!" (James)  
"It's Bigger!" (Jessie)  
"It's Badder!" (James)  
"And trust us, it's WAY Better!" (Meowth)  
"Consummate skill is our greatest specialty!" (Jessie)  
"Our firepower's the best in the galaxy!" (James)  
"Jessie!" (Jessie)  
"James!" (James)  
"And Meowth, that's my name!" (Meowth)  
"Team Rocket, the ultimate weapon, flying straight and true!" (Jessie)  
"And our latest target . . ." (James)  
"IS GONNA BE YOU!" (all)  
"WAAAAAAA-Buffet!" (Wobbuffet)  
"Mime mime!" (Mime Jr.)

"Team Rocket?" shouts Ash. "I thought I'd seen the last of you when I left for Kroel!"  
"Wait!" shouts Aang. "They're not alone."  
And the Avatar's right. The sound of evil laughter rings through the area. "Well well well," says Nega Chin as he steps out of the shadows. "It appears that the Avatar has come to ruin our evil plan. Well, I've got two words: Not happening."  
"No way," says Vicky, who can now be seen in full - red hair, sickeningly gaudy yellow and blue outfit, foot-long blade-like claws, and all. "And now our evil forces shall tear you to SHREDS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHHHH!"  
"Cosmo! Wanda!" Timmy whispers desperately to Poof-talkie. "I wish he had more help!"  
"You got it, pal," says Wanda, as her wand-antenna starts to sparkle. One of Timmy's Crimson Chin comic books is yanked out of his backpack, and with a loud POOF, the Crimson Chin, scarlet suit and all, bursts forth from his pages, complete with his fighting partner, Master Infernape.  
"Nega Chin!" he shouts, with his cliche pointing at his arch-nemesis. "Prepare to meet your downfall!"  
"Fat chance, Red-face," snarls Nega-Chin. "Move it, fiends! To the Antiques Warehouse!"  
At this, all the villains vanish into the darkness. "Get back here, you - " starts Timmy, but Aang stops him. "Calm down, guys," he says. "We have to think of a plan."  
"A plan?" asks Cosmo. "What's a plan?"  
"I'm calling Officer Jenny," says Timmy. "At least we've got a lead."  
"As Andy would say, 'Go figure,'" says Aang, rolling his eyes.  
While Timmy speaks through Wanda-talkie, Aang tries to console Escalance. 'What were they possibly thinking?' the Balance Pokemon sighs as she sinks into a depression. 'Like it was my fault they wanted to keep the Idol safe.'  
'It's not YOUR fault, Escalance,' says Aang. 'They just have to keep their premises safe, that's all. I think they were all just self-conscious and they would do anything for security.'  
'Oh yeah?' shouts Volarimp. 'Then how come those villains were able to get in there without anyone else noticing?'  
'See? THIS is why I never trusted in jerks like you!' Escalance lashes out at Volarimp. 'If you at least had any respect for anything at all, then you shouldn't have come flapping my way in the first place, you idiot!'  
'Same to you, punk!'  
'Who are you calling a punk?'  
'Who are YOU calling an idiot?'  
'That's enough, BOTH OF YOU!' Aang shouts in Pokemon tongue as he steps in and seperates the two. 'If you want to bust these bad guys, then you'd better stop bickering and get your act together!'  
'Yeah right,' says Volarimp as he turns away stiffly. 'Where's the stupid script anyway?'  
'Whatever,' snarls Escalance as she does the same.  
Aang lets out a long, anguished sigh. "This might take a while," he says to himself glumly.

Andy, Lapis, Brock, Danny, Cleo, and Officer Jenny have all searched through the entire museum, with little success. Dissapointed, they meet up at the lobby, and relate what they have seen and heard. "Any news on Aang and his peers yet?" asks Officer Jenny. "Not really," says Andy. "Well, the good news is that we've found the Idol of Ranima. The bad news, though, is that Crocker and co. have it now."  
"Way to go," Lapis snaps sarcastically.  
"We must not worry about the Idol per se," says Cleo. "What we must worry about is what Crocker wants with it."  
"Or what Nega-Chin wants, to be precise," corrects Zach. "I heard everything through the air conditioning."  
"You did?" asks Danny, surprised. "What did he say?"  
"He apparently has that portal mechanism at the Antiques Warehouse," says Andy. "We have to get there as soon as we can."  
BEEP BEEP BEEP "Great," says Officer Jenny as she takes out her walkie-talkie. "Now what?"  
"It's me," says Timmy's voice when she answers. "There's something up at Antiques Warehouse. We're on our way there as we speak."  
"Good for you," says Andy sarcastically. "Let me know when you're being held hostage by Crocker and co. in the Magical World."  
"Well, there is at least some progress," says Aang's voice. "Only problem is that we need all our Pokemon to defeat those guys, but Volarimp and Escalance still aren't speaking to each other. I think it's because she's afraid that he's, well, one of them."  
"They have Volarimp too?" Andy screeches, aghast. "Oh man," says Zach. "I'll bet this isn't going to end very well."  
"Not if we can help it," says Aang. "As long as Ash, Timmy and I stick together. If only I could say the same for the Pokemon . . . "  
"We'll have to help you," says Andy. "We're headed to that warehouse ASAP. Over and out!"  
"Great," says Pi. "That warehouse is like a mile away!"  
"I know someone who can help," says Cleo, taking out a yellow and blue Pokeball adorned with Egyptian heiroglyphics. "Mumming, heed my command!" There is a flash of light, and there, standing before them, is a little Ground/Ghost type. It stands at two feet tall, swathed head to foot in white bandages, with red bandages wrapped around its arms, legs, torso, and head. Said ribbons also form fingers that grip some sort of stale, musty bone that has a slight musky scent and ancient tombs.  
"Looks creepy," says Pi as she takes out her Pokedex. "BANDONE," it says. "The Bandages Pokemon. This Pokemon is said to have been resurrected from the dead by ancient spells. It loves the darkness of caves and tombs, but is also attracted to shiny objects."  
"Bandone are attracted to dank, musty places, usually with lots of ancient artifacts," says Cleo. "He should be able to help us out."  
"Good thinking," says Danny. "And a Ghost type would be great backup should we get into a fight."  
"Dibs on Crocker's glasses," says Andy as he punches his right hand, Zach on his shoulder as usual. "Let's mosey."

Meanwhile, our favorite three heroes have managed to sneak into the warehouse. But something's wrong. As Aang peers into the main room, he sees a huge doorway-like mechanism, which emits a glowing white light. There, implanted into the control panel, are three glistening Idols.  
"The portal's already open," Aang realizes. "We're too late."  
"Not yet," says Timmy. "There's still a chance! We've gotta go in there and save Fairy World ourselves!"  
"Right," says Ash. "Pikachu and I will be coming too."  
"But what about the Idols?" asks Timmy.  
"Let Andy worry about that part," says Aang with a wink. "He's got your back."  
'I thought,' says Volarimp in Pokemon language as he perches on Aang's head as usual, 'that we'll have to fight in the warehouse. Guess this is going to be a lot more fun.'  
'Fun is in the eye of the beholder,' says Aang as he and his friends step through the portal into the Magical World.

Chaos is literally everywhere in the Magical World. Races of all kinds - Pokemon, elves, fairies, and more - are scattering in panic. A huge machine steps forth. It towers above them, like some kind of gigantic creature. Its metallic gray body is encased in extremely heavy armor and armaments, and bears two blasters and two laser cannons on its head.  
"Well well," says Jessie. "It looks like you three made it too. About time you could use a proper reception."  
"And you're gonna GET one," snarls Crocker. "Ready the swarm!"  
"You got it," says Vicky. With a push of a button, she releases the entire dark Volarimp army, and they screech and swoop in weird geometric formations as they dive towards the kids.  
Aang's Volarimp is the first to charge at them. With a screech of fury, he loads a maximum-power Dizzy Punch, taking out a dozen dark Volarimp at once. But more and more shoot forth at him with Mach Punches, barraging him hard. Once, twice, three times, the darker-colored Normal/Flying types barrage Aang's Volarimp with Mach Punches. But the fourth time, Volarimp decides he's had enough. With a whoosh of white wings, he climbs high into the air, causing all the dark Volarimp to fly up after him.  
"Volarimp!" Aang cries, but Volarimp has had enough. With a screech, he dives straight down, this time streaming white beams of energy. There is a flash of white light and a massive explosion as the two attacks make contact. Several of the Volarimp go down, but it is just too much for Aang's poor Winged Monkey too. Battered and bruised, he plummets to the ground, fainted.  
"Did he just learn Aerial Ace?" gasps Ash. "Yeah," says Aang, "but a second too late."  
"Hahahaha!" everyone laughs maniacally. "Now," shouts Crocker. "FINISH THEM!"  
The dark Volarimp swoop down again, ready to deal the finishing Mach Punch to our heroes. But then, there is a blur of white and yellow, and next moment, Escalance has jumped out in front of our heroes, confronting the dark Volarimp army.  
"GET THEM!" screams Nega Chin, and all the Volarimp screech as they swoop towards the two little Pokemon. But Escalance doesn't move. Shifting into her Scales of Heaven position. 'Stand back,' she says to Volarimp, who doesn't need to be told twice as he rushes back to Aang and the others.  
WHOOSH!  
A blinding flash of light erupts from the dish on Escalance's head. It catches a great majority of the Volarimp head-on, and the next moment, the whole area is filled with a powerful glowing light that shines as bright as the sun.  
"Corona!" the Avatar gasps as he shields his eyes. "Escalance learned Corona!"  
"Solar Flare?" says Ash. "What's that?"  
"It's a very powerful Light-type move that varies with intensity based on the user's type disadvantage," says Aang. "Escalance is Light/Fighting type, but all these Volarimp are Flying type so they have a type advantage against her. That's why Corona is causing a lot of damage here!"  
Sure enough, all the Volarimp, blinded by the intensity of the Corona, are going down like Bug types in a firestorm.  
"NO!" cries Nega-Chin. "My beautiful Volarimp army . . . NOOOOO!"  
And then the Corona shoots up and hits the mecha's neck. Aang, Timmy, and Ash, with all their Pokemon in tow, race out of the portal, just as the mecha explodes and sends all the villains tumbling through after them.  
As soon as everyone escapes, Aang extracts all three Idols from the machine and tucks them into his bag, safe at last. The portal powers down, and everything is silent for a moment. And then everyone comes to their senses.  
"Everything we've planned, everything we've dreamed of . . . " bemoans Crocker, "has been ruined."  
"And for that, we shall destroy every last bit of this world . . . " says Vicky, extending her claws in a silent fury, "starting with YOU!" But when she points at what she thinks to be Timmy, she gets the surprise of her life. Instead of pointing at Timmy, she finds herself pointing at a winged kid wearing goggles and a very angry expression. "Not to get you all dissappointed," snarls Andy. "but I highly doubt Crossbow Jerk's company policy has that part covered." And with a snap of his fingers, he orders three little words: "Sic 'em, boys."  
"Way ahead of you," says Brock. "Steelix, use Dragon Breath!"  
"Lantukin, use Will-O-Wisp!" shouts Danny.  
"Growlithe, use Flamethrower!" shouts Officer Jenny.  
"Mumming, use Sand Attack!" shouts Cleo.  
"Infernape, use Focus Blast!" shouts the Crimson Chin.  
"Hiponea, use Water Gun!" shouts Pi.  
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" shouts Ash.  
"Apeaf, use Bullet Seed!" shouts Timmy.  
"Frimbella, use Poison Sting!" shouts Andy.  
"And Escalance, use Corona!" shouts Aang.  
All the attacks converge into one gigantic beam of sparkling white energy. The villains scream and try to run away, but it is much too late, and the entire warehouse - and the portal along with it - explodes with a thundering KABOOOOOM!

"Why does that Winged Twerp have to stick his nose into everything?" says Jessie.  
"I don't know," says James. "Maybe it's his idea of fun."  
"I'll tell you our idea of fun," says Meowth. "It's getting our hands on the most powerful artifacts of all of Kroel - which we did NOT because you butt-heads had to screw things over!" he lashes out at Crocker, Vicky, and Frances.  
"Waaaaaaaa-buffet!" cries Wobbuffet. And with that, everyone - Team Rocket, Mr. Crocker, Vicky, Frances, and Nega-Chin - fly off into the distance, screaming their usual "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

Later that evening, after the kids have returned all the artifacts to the museum, they have gathered outside to say goodbye.  
"As always," says Officer Jenny, "thank you, kids. You have done very well today."  
"The forces of justice have prevailed once again," says the Crimson Chin. "You, Avatar, have proved yourself very handy this time around."  
"Well," says Aang, "I couldn't have done it without Escalance. She helped us out a great deal. And something tells me she likes me, too."  
"I know she does," says Lapis. "But she has her place. And that's here in the museum."  
"I can understand your reasoning there, Pi," says Andy. "However, I don't think it would be as safe for her. What she really wants is human company - someone who cares for her."  
"Yeah," says Ash. "She is a Pokemon, after all."  
"Actually," says Cleo, "Escalance isn't exactly going to be staying anymore."  
"What?" says Aang, Pi, and Ash together. "We have the Idols now," Cleo explains, "and the gateway was destroyed in the explosion anyway, so Escalance is no longer needed."  
"And neither am I," says Timmy with a grin. "Now if you need me, Bippy and I will be off to Cauldron City."  
"Cauldron City?" says Aang. "Is that where the first Gym is?"  
"Yes it is," says Timmy. "Bippy and I will have a lot of fun while we're there. Right, Crimson Chin?"  
"Sure," says Crimson Chin, touching the comic book again. "Good luck, and to you," he adresses to Aang as he and Infernape dissapear back into the pages, "Great job!"  
"So I guess that's it then," says Aang. "This exhibit is discontinued, right?"  
"Not really," says Cleo. "We will be keeping the rest of the artifacts here, in Dimmsdale. But Escalance is free to go wherever she pleases. And she is in good hands. You, Avatar, now have the full ownership rights to her."  
"Escalance!" shouts Escalance happily, leaping out of the backpack again and turning to face Aang and Volarimp.  
"All right," says Aang. "I'm ready to finish this! Volarimp, lend me your service!" The Winged Monkey Pokemon promptly jumps off his shoulder and takes off into the sky. "Ready to finish this?" Aang shouts to Volarimp, which replies with a shriek of determination. "Now, start this off with Brick Break!"  
Volarimp dives out of the sky, Brick Break at the ready, but this time he misses. Escalance totters for a brief second, and then regains balance as she faces the other direction.  
Back and forth Volarimp dives, trying to hit Escalance with Brick Break. But just then, Escalance leaps into the air after him, grabbing onto his tail, ready for a serious fight. "Volarimp!" shouts Aang. "Don't let her use Close Combat!"  
Volarimp turns in the air, ready for another go, and then dives at Escalance again. And then, just as before, Escalance's hand glows white as she leaps again.  
"She's gonna do another Sky Uppercut!" shouts Aang. "Ready?"  
'Ready,' grins Volarimp in Pokemon language. And just as Escalance's Sky Uppercut makes contact, Volarimp dodges! The little Balance Pokemon has a split second before she falls. But Volarimp isn't going to call it a day just yet. And neither is Aang. "Volarimp!" he shouts. "Dive after her!"  
Volarimp promptly swoops, but Escalance turns in the air to face him. The moment he hits, she immediately nails him with Close Combat.  
"Now, Volarimp!" Aang shouts. "Use Aerial Ace while she's distracted!"  
The plan works brilliantly. Volarimp streaks downwards, white energy streaming from him and the Balance Pokemon attached to his face, and slams his attack the ground, HARD. The little Escalance recieves the full brunt of the attack, and crashes back onto terra firma, dizzy, battered, and for the first time in a very long while, beaten.  
'Now's your chance, Aang!' shouts Volarimp in Pokemon language as he lands back on Aang's shoulder. 'Use the Pokeball!'  
'My thoughts exactly,' Aang replies. "Pokeball, LEND ME YOUR SERVICE!" And with that, he throws the Pokeball, which hits Escalance and absorbs her with a flash of red light.  
"Don't fail me now," Aang prays to himself as he watches the Pokeball very closely. It wobbles and blinks for a few moments, and then, with a blip and a few sparkles, it stops moving. The Balance Pokemon has finally been captured!  
"YEAH!" says Aang as he pulls off his famous victory pose. "I CAUGHT Escalance!" Volarimp chimes in with his famous cry. And everyone applauds the Avatar, not just for capturing Escalance as his very own, but also for saving the magical world - and everything else, for that matter.

[Aang:] "_So, after a long and eventful day, everything works out for all of us. Well, there's still a lot of cleanup duty, but hey, Officer Jenny has it covered. But anyway, what's important is that the Magical World - and our world as well - is safe. So with that comforting note in mind, Escalance and I are off to Cauldron City - and my very first Gym Battle ever!_"

**To be continued...  
**********************

Pokemon (c) Nintendo  
Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) Nickolodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko  
Danny Phantom, The Fairly Odd Parents  
Professor Parcel, all fakemon (c) Darksilvania

-SS


End file.
